FishPoolDC: Our Insider's Notes from Today's Press Briefing

Come on Down — You’re the Next Contestant!: Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew joined the party today to announce the administration’s global health initiative budget proposal: $63 billion over six years primarily directed toward “a lot of countries in Africa.” The Obama team tipped their hats to President Bush and his PEPFAR initiative for AIDS relief, which was deemed “a bold approach.” When reporters challenged Lew on whether the increase could actually be seen as a big change from the previous administration, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs scoffed at the press corps’s seemingly inconsistent characterization of “big” and “small” numbers.