Bono applauds president’s AIDS proposal
Posted by SPun2U on May 31, 2007 in News & Rumors | Comments Off
The Grammy-winning rock star sang Bush’s praises Wednesday for his announcement that he would propose spending an additional $30 billion over five years to fight AIDS worldwide.
"Some of my activist friends will be jumping on one leg rather than jumping on two because it’s never enough and etc., etc.," Bono said in a phone interview with USA TODAY from Fez, Morocco, where he’s recording with his band, U2. "But I’m standing up and I’m applauding the president and Congress."
Since 1999, the Irish-born singer has become increasingly active in raising awareness of AIDS in Africa and campaigning for debt relief in the developing world. He is co-founder of an advocacy group called DATA, an acronym for Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa.
"I remember people literally laughing in our face as we walked around Capitol Hill, knocking on doors" in the early days, he said. He cited key support in Congress from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others and said it was notable that a conservative administration was moving on promises of aid.
"At a time when there’s very little good news coming in from foreign climes," he said, "this is great news." The announcement also will help press leaders at next week’s Group of Eight summit in Germany to act, he said. He’ll be there to lobby.
Bono has met with seven of the 2008 presidential contenders — including Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and Republicans Rudy Giuliani and John McCain — to raise the issue.
He did note some disappointments with the U.S. program, including the limited funding for multilateral AIDS programs and the emphasis on abstinence education. "Condoms are a part of the solution," he said.
-, USA TODAY
Tags
Related Posts
Share This
Video
