THE PRESIDENT ‘GETS IT’

Interesting remarks from Scott Evertz, the new director of the White House AIDS office. “I can absolutely, positively, categorically confirm that, in President Bush, we have a friend and we have a decent human being,” Evertz told a black-tie dinner May 5, according to the Washington Blade. “And by the way, he asked very good questions about HIV/AIDS,” Evertz added. “So lest anyone think that he’s a man of few words and a man who doesn’t get it – he gets it. He really gets it.” According to the Blade, “Evertz said that, to his amazement, Bush switched gears briefly during the Oval Office meeting to talk about how he did among Gay voters in the 2000 presidential election. “He said, ‘I did pretty well in the Gay community, didn’t I?’ I said, ‘Yes, Mr. President, you got a million votes, 25 percent of the Gay vote.’ And he said, ‘Yea.’ He had that look on his face and that glee in his eyes.”” That sound you hear is the sound of a taboo cracking.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE EVIL DRUG COMPANIES: Stirring news about an anti-cancer miracle drug, Gleevec, that doesn’t only seem to be highly effective against leukemia but also against intestinal tumors. According to the Times, “Gleevec, formerly known as STI- 571, is made by Novartis. It is a new kind of drug that acts like a guided missile, killing only cancerous cells while generally sparing healthy ones. That any drug can have such striking benefits against two seemingly different cancers has surprised even the most optimistic researchers who have long been hailing the potential for what are called molecularly targeted drugs.” Guess what? It’s expensive. Up to $2400 a month. So I guess we can wait a couple of days before the Times editorializes against the evil capitalism that actually asks for a reward for its miracles.

FRANCE, ITALY, BRITAIN?: Striking, isn’t it, that neo-populist conservative parties have been gaining ground in Europe recently. Silvio Berlusconi’s victory in Italy clearly marks a trend, after the conservative sweep in France’s recent municipal elections. Berlusconi campaigned on a tax-cut, on some restrictions on immigration, and against the perceived arrogance of left-wing rulers. The Washington Post quotes this old Italian on her reasons for moving rightward: “”This election is all about change. I voted for the left in 1996 and I was very disappointed,” said Berlusconi supporter Anna Maria Bucci, 71, as she cast her ballot in Rome’s working-class Testaccio neighborhood. “I don’t like the way they decided everything for themselves and left out the views of the people.”” Meanwhile, in Britain, my old friend William Hague has, by all accounts, got off to a flying start in the election campaign. Vowing to cut taxes, crack down on illegal asylum seekers, keep the pound, and resist liberal elites, Hague is widely predicted to lose terribly. Why am I not so sure?