A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Dec. 28, 2007 - Jan. 4, 2008 - The White House is getting excited about the possibility of pushing my TB vaccine research intitative for the G-8 and for the SOTU Address. Met on Jan. 3 with Mike Magan and Patrick Marcham of NSC about pushing forward my TB intiative. Also, Mike wants me to put together a similar initiative for a malaria vaccine. I will present this to Dan Price (with Gary Edson present) on Monday at the White House. Possibility exists for a two-fer, i.e. TB + Malaria vaccine initiatives. A lot of activity (e-mails, phone calls, meetings) going on similar to the time right before we went ahead with PEPFAR in Jan. 2003. There is the usual concern on the part of NIH, HHS, and OMB as to where the new money will come from. I have been very open in keeping Elias Zerhouni and HHS informed of my White House meetings. Jan. 5 - Jan. 18, 2008 - Democrat and Republican primaries getting very hot. No clear leader with the GOP. Fred Thompson dropped out; Rudy Giuliani counting on Florida as he has done poorly so far in Iowa, NH, Nevada, Michigan and SC. Romney dropping and McLain bouncing back with wins in NH and SC. Dems race ugly with Bill and Hillary attacking Obama. This is causing racial tensions and blacks are getting pissed at Bill and Hillary. Bill is acting inappropriately in attacking Barack in an angry fashion. He is also clearly lying about what Barack has said and done. My initiatives are still percolating at the WH. Now they have asked me to put together a malaria vaccine and malaria drug discovery proposal. Will discuss these on Jan. 28 at the WH. Weather has been bitter cold in DC - very sunny, but freezing.
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Jan. 19, 2008 - Dinner at Capitol Hilton Hotel to celebrate Sam Alito getting the Lido Award. Dinner sponsored by NIAF. John Salamone (Executive Director of NIAF) asked Chris and me to sit at Alito's table along with Gen. Peter Pace and his wife Lynne. Had nice evening speaking with Martha-Ann Alito (Sam's wife). She is starting an "Italian Dinner Club" and invited me to join. I am considering it.
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Jan 25, 2008 - Gave lecture Global health at USA Families Conference at the Mayflower Hotel. The speaker before me was my friend former Senator Tom Daschle. Tom gave a great talk on health care in the USA based on a book that he has just written. Of note, he is the health advisor for Barack Obama. This is good since Tom likes me a lot and this could be my entry into getting to know Obama a bit better since I know Hillary much better than I do Obama. This evening went with Chris to an elegant "private" dinner (black tie) at the Academy of Achievement Town House at 1222 16th Street, N.W. given by Catherine and Wayne Reynolds. They have been very generous to me in inviting me to these great affairs. In typical Catherine Reynolds style, the details of the evening were amazing. Great food and elegant wines (Montrachet and Margaux) and champagne (Dom Perignon). Guests were terrific. Sens. Daschle, Cochrane, Byron Dornan; Bob Barnett,; Congressman Dingle; Mack McCarty; John Negroponte; Mike Chertoff Steve and Alice Rosenberg, maries. Bruce Miller. etc. Highlight of the evening was the command private performance by Bernadette Peters, who was amazing - talented and beautiful at 60 years old (next month)! I was struck by how short she is in real life. Google lists her as 5'3", but she was about 1.5 inches shorter then I and she had spiked (3 inch) heels on - great looking woman and incredibly nice as we spoke with her after the performance.
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Jan. 26, 2008 - Activity mostly centered around the Democrat and Republic primaries. McCain surging from way behind, Giuliani is out. Obama closing in on Hillary.
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2008-01-28 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Jan. 28, 2008 - Went to White House to nail down with Dan Price, Gary Edson, Patrick Marcham, Mark Dybul, Paul Brown, Bobby Pittman and others the various aspects of the initiatives that the POTUS might want to announce at G-8, or the Upcoming (Feb) Africa trip, or the DC Global Health Summit. My TB vaccine initiative ($40 million) is in. Malaria vaccine and drug discovery is likely out. Neglected Tropical Diseases is in. That night, in the SOTU Address, the POTUS asked for $30 billion for PEPFAR and praised the POTUS Malaria Initiative (PMI).
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Feb. 1, 2008 - Did dry run of my upcoming presentation to VP Cheney on Bruce Miller. He really liked it. Will soon set up for the VP.
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Feb. 3, 2008 - NY Giants beat NE Patriots in an upset in the Super bowl played in Phoenix. NY's defensive line kept Tom Brady off balance all night and Eli Manning played incredibly well.
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Feb. 4, 2008 - CROI meeting in Boston. Went to show the flag, meet with African investigators from Uganda (Rakai) and see vaccine presentations. Ron Desrosiers gave his talk about the imbalance between discovery and development in vaccine agenda and said there is no evidence that any existing vaccine candidate will work. I do not necessarily disagree; however, he was terribly gratuitous in saying that "The NIH has lost its way on vaccine research". It is easy to criticize and place blame...much easier than having creative ideas to solve the problem. He is not a bad guy, but he was an asshole today.
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Feb. 6, 2008 - Had lunch at café Milano with Franco Nuschese (Owner of Café Milano) to discuss an issue with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He would like to bring the health minister to the USA and have me show him around the NIH. Also, he wants me to go to UAE and help them with advice about research programs, i.e. establish an NIH-like system in UAE. Franco knows the Middle east well since he has many contacts there and want to help the country develop their biomedical research enterprise. He will arrange appropriate meetings.