To this day, Ronald Reagan is criticized by some for what they saw as his slow response in the 1980s to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which was just taking hold in the U.S. But the reality is, leaders of both political parties, as well as government institutions at that time, did not respond very well to what would become a  global crisis.

No such criticism can be leveled against President Bush.

Bush's ambitious anti-AIDs initiative, the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, is now treating 1.4 million people, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa — exactly as the president promised.

Bush first announced PEPFAR in his 2003 State of the Union address, asking Congress to commit $15 billion over five years "to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean."

Congress responded, and the U.S. undertook what is now the largest-ever international health initiative devoted to one disease. Some $19 billion — more than Bush asked for — has been spent so far on HIV/AIDS treatment and education.

Judging from the numbers receiving life-saving anti-retroviral treatments — and the rock star-like reception Bush is receiving on his six-day trip to Africa — PEPFAR'S success is undeniable.

The program is even winning over critics, like Partners in Health, a Boston nonprofit that provides medical services in Africa and elsewhere.

"As someone who has been highly critical of this administration's foreign policies, PEPFAR and other investments in health have outstripped that of all other administrations," said Paul Farmer, Partners' founder, who works extensively in Rwanda.

Also, Doctors Without Borders, which initially was skeptical, is on board with the program.

Yet for all the success of PEPFAR, some Democrats in Congress want to tamper with the program, which is up for renewal this year.

Bush has raised the stakes, challenging Congress to double the original amount of spending and extend HIV/AIDS treatment to 2.5 million people and prevent 12 million new infections.

But the Democrats want to strip  the requirement that one-third of HIV/AIDS prevention money — 7 percent of all spending — go to abstinence-until-marriage programs. Also, they object to the provision that requires groups to sign anti-prostitution pledges.

In a world where more than 40 million people are infected with HIV or living with AIDS, PEPFAR is one government program that is getting results. It is a beacon of hope for millions of people in 15 of the hardest-hit nations.

Democrats can debate the total dollars the president wants to spend on PEPCAR, but they ought to leave the   the program intact.

They should join with President Bush who, early in his presidency, recognized the urgent need for the U.S. to lead the world, as he says, "in sparing innocent people from a plague of nature."

Democrats should take heed of Tanzanian leader Jakaya Kikwete, who says thousands of his countrymen would orphan their children if Congress does not act responsibly.

Democrats bristle at abstinence education on policy grounds, but it promotes sexual health and should be a part of any anti-AIDS program, including PEPCAR.

Years from now, historians will look back and applaud this Bush initiative and view it as an important part of his legacy as president.

Congress should appropriately fund PEPCAR — and leave the program, itself, as is.