Thacker’s out….Fred Phelps waves hand saying “Pick me! Pick me!”

A Christian activist chosen by the White House for a presidential AIDS (news – web sites) advisory panel is withdrawing his name under pressure after characterizing the disease as the “gay plague,” along with other anti-homosexual statements.

The administration had chosen Jerry Thacker to serve on the Presidential Advisory Commission on HIV (news – web sites) and AIDS. He was to be sworn in along with other new commission members next week by Health and Human Services (news – web sites) Secretary Tommy Thompson.

On Thursday, however, Thacker was sending a letter signaling that he would not accept the appointment, administration officials said.

I guess it occured to Thacker that he would be about as welcome as a Scientologist selling Amway