For one night,
the campaign against HIV trumped the buzz over Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton's reelection bid, speculation over
whether Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will run
for president, and even gossip about actress Angelina
Jolie's relationship with Brad Pitt. The women were
all speakers at a dinner of the Global Business Coalition on
HIV/AIDS in New York City, helping to raise $1.3 million.
Volkswagen of
South Africa, Getty Images, MAC Cosmetics,
Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Virgin United, and DeBeers were
honored for their work against AIDS.
While the women
went out of their way to praise each other, Clinton drew
loud applause when she called on the Bush administration and
Congress to recognize the importance of condoms in the
fight against AIDS. "There is a great deal of
political pressure to only talk about abstinence, and
to deny support for condoms and education on using them,"
Clinton said. "This policy will lead to the
unnecessary deaths of many people." She said girls and
women were increasingly at risk, especially in the
countries most affected by AIDS.
Earlier, Rice
told the crowd at the Kennedy Center that the involvement
of businesses along with government is crucial in fighting
AIDS, which she said can threaten the stability of
countries and entire regions. She praised the
bipartisan cooperation in Congress in support of funding
AIDS prevention and singled out Clinton's work,
telling the New York senator, "It's a pleasure to
share the podium with you."
Jolie called on
countries to commit more to the fight against AIDS and
said the failure to properly treat the disease
internationally "is a disgrace." (AP)