President Bush has yet to push for PEPFAR's reauthorization as his top legislative priority, so Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell feel little pressure to roll over Coburn's objections -- which they could do, since there are more than 60 "yes" votes.
Reid supports the legislation but seems uninterested in scheduling floor time without assurances from Republicans that the debate will be short and the number of amendments limited. If it passes, after all, President Bush will get much of the credit. The political calculation must be tempting: Why not allow seven, white Republicans to discredit their party by blocking a lifesaving bill for Africa? And there is an added bonus: Coburn is an adviser on health issues to John McCain.
Given these obstacles, supporters of the PEPFAR reauthorization now estimate a 50 percent chance it will be shelved until next year. Without a five-year U.S. commitment on AIDS funding, other countries would be reluctant to put new people on treatment. And lives would be lost.
Each of the Coburn Seven counts himself pro-life. If a bill came to the Senate floor that would save millions of unborn children, one assumes that pro-life members would push to improve it, accept a few necessary compromises, and then enthusiastically support the legislation.
It is difficult to imagine why pro-life legislation involving millions of Africans should be viewed differently. |