first, 40 years ago this past friday, december 23rd, president richard nixon declared the war on cancer. >> i hope that in the years ahead, that we may look back on this day and this action as being the most significant action taken during this administration. >> president nixon had big expectations and we have come a long way since 1971. still, even today, cancer will strike down 1 in 4 americans. there are smart people who may tell you up front that we may be losing the war on cancer. but this morning i want to talk about our successes rather than failures. at the end of world war ...