Bono Dodges A Hug From President Bush

IrishCentral:

On a BBC program last night, the superstar U2 singer recalled how he he stiffed President Bush out of the photo op in 2006 at the National Prayer Breakfast. The former President was on the stage with Bush when "Dubya" tried to hug Bono.

"There were all kinds of people in the audience," Bono recalled on Jonathan Ross' talk show.

Bono admitted he didn't feel like being the recipient of a hug from a man with whom he had so many political disagreements. As the affectionate President neared, Bono tried to "dodge the hug" by jumping behind a podium.

Read the whole story: IrishCentral

Comments

[Whinger]

Bush dodged a shoe, Bono dodged a heel.

[AlexFTW]

Nice.

[Decipherer]

Actually, he dodged the foreign material that someone wearing the shoe had accidentally stepped-in.

[jxm]

Sounds like complete BS to me and not for the first time from Bono.

We watched in horror as he metaphorically embraced President Bush and managed to stay very quiet instead of using his fame to condemn a pre-emptive war. Where was the strong condemnation of Wolfwitz when he used Bono for reflected glory when seeking the presidency of the World Bank.

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2005/03/18/wolf/

Many thousands of Iraqi civilians and US soldiers are dead or maimed because of President Bush and his fellow architects of the ruse on WMDs. Bono had a opportunity to make a strong statement for peace and instead chose to say nothing of substance.

Too late to run away from your past, Bono. Making millions singing about love, pride, peace and redemption is not the same as actively promoting them or living them. Yes, you were very quiet about the hard the Bush regime visited on our world.

[Colloquielle]

That's just nonsensical. Bono made very clear all along he was against the war in Iraq, and as he pointed out last night, he only agreed with Bush on a very small number of things. However, in order to garner support for those things they DID agree on, he toed a very delicate line, politically, to avoid alienating Bush and limiting the good they COULD do together. You think a rock god can stop a war? I don't. But he can increase aid to parts of the world that need it. He did the right thing.

[NoMoosestew]

Bono does more then sing about love, pride, and peace. That's just the first link I found. He is known for his charity work.

http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/26-bono

[jukesgrrl]

Would that be the National Prayer Breakfast sponsored by The Family of C Street fame? Even Bono is implicated in that c rap?

[rubygreen]

You are correct, C Street House us tge sponser of the National Prayer Breakfast - now we know why President Obama cancelled it!

He must have known a lot more about what was going on, long before it was revealed to the public.

[Decipherer]

Doubt it, but that whole thing was a pandering waste anyway.

[rubygreen]

us - tge? =used to, forgive me, it's early.

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes - bringing back a lot of memories at the shore!

[ConservativeLatino31]

Bono has been active in Aids benefits. President Bush has given billions of dollars for Aids relief. He gave double what Clinton gave. It was reported that Bush's policy in Africa has benefited millions of poor Africans. What I don't understand is why Bono recognizes Bill Clinton when Bush has done more for Africa in regards to Aids. Liberals refuse to give him credit for that. They simply ignore it.

[shades3]

However, Conservati­veLatino31­, the millions of dollars of AIDS relief that Bush sent to Africa was not given to clinics which also did abortions.
Bush and his administration did not seem to understand that in Africa, ALL healthcare, from pre-natal to palliative care for the aged and everything in between is more often than not done at the same clinic. To withold financial help from a clinic that also provides abortions for those who need them is no help at all.

[ConservativeLatino31]

Aids relief was provided for yep you guess it, Aids relief not abortions. Over one million people were impacted by these donations. Clinton's donations did not have the same impact as did Bush's. At least give the President credit. Or at least stop the continual praise of Clinton's ineffectual policy.

[cheyenne79]

It was Colin Powell who pushed for the to aid to Africa.......bush should have taken his advice more often.

[Adjuster]

No one on this side has a problem with facts. But, just because he did one thing right in 8 years is nothing to crow about. Even a stopped watch is correct twice a day.

We don't ignore that he gave money to help fight aids, just like we don't ignore the fact that OJ was a great football player.

[roshni]

Bono Rocks!

[VanillaCreme]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/05/bono_sings_the_.html

Interviewed on NBC’s Meet the Press via video link from Dublin, Ireland, Bono had high praise for President Bush: "I think he's done an incredible job, his administration, on AIDS. And 250,000 Africans are on anti-viral drugs. They literally owe their lives to America. In one year that's been done."

Acknowledging that the U.S president is under great pressure in dealing with international terrorism and domestic finances, Bono said that if Bush in his second term is "as bold in his commitments to Africa as he was in the first term, he indeed deserves a place in history in turning the fate of that continent around."
http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2005/June/20050627175254sssillE0.3220789.html

[Adjuster]

And how did that second term turn out? I suspect it was like his vision of putting a person on Mars, here today, forgotten tomorrow.

[WonderfulLife]

He'll get his place in history...just not the one the Repubthugs hoped for. He will go
down as the absolute worst President our country has ever had to suffer through.
The damage he did will be felt by generations to come and he is permanently
stained by the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocents because of his
ineptness and incompetence. The term "Peter Principle" now has a photo of him
next to it as the most perfect example of one's rise to the level of their incompetence.

[fitz213]

Bush did exactly what he said he was going to do. Why don't you read his speeches. You'll see there was a plan all along. You're delusional or stupid if you believe it was incompetence.

[WonderfulLife]

GOOD FOR HIM!
I have been a long time fan of U2 and my admiration for Bono only grew when he started using his rock icon status to focus in on problems around the world such as hunger.
But he really showed us that he is a man of integrity when he refused to be politically correct and allow W to use him for a photo op. Too bad the servicemen on the USS Abraham Lincoln didn' t have the same option when they had to pose under the "Mission Accomplished" banner.
Getting over the last eight years must be somewhat like what it was like after the dark ages ended. From having shoes thrown at him to situations where well known personalities had to quickly manuever to get away from him...

[bbbbmer]

Thank GOD somebody refused the wanton act of humanity from the hypocritical war criminal Bush!!!!

[adamwho]

This is about something in 2006!! Do we really need to dredge up such old news to manufacture headlines?!?!?

[ranchero42]

He only just admitted to what had previously been suspected. Next time you get on a chat show, talk about stuff most people understand and identify with. Fluff? Maybe, but some actually tune into these sorts of things.

[ranchero42]

Bono must have noticed that a common problem we've experienced lately is often due to influential public figures who claim to be Christian but don't walk the walk. Kudos to Bono for choosing the "tough love" approach to correcting this behavior. Atheists like myself find it difficult to call out hypocrisy when we see it, if only because Christians seem to believe that only "spiritual" people get to call it as they see it. If you believe the capacity to forgive is beyond me, I say bulls#!t. Christians don't live by a set of rules nobody else can live up to; those who think they have a monopoly on morality too often have merely cornered the market on blinkered ignorance.

[VanillaCreme]

ranchero: Would you consider this hypocrisy?

http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2005/June/20050627175254sssillE0.3220789.html

[ranchero42]

Could be. Is Susan Ellis related to Bush by blood or marriage? If you watch Fahrenheit 9/11 the 2000 election was called by a male Fox talking head named Ellis. Are you sure that's all factual?