Bono spars with Bush over AIDS funding

Irish rock star Bono has pressed President George W. Bush to set aside more cash for AIDS initiatives but came away disappointed after a face-to-face talk with the president at the White House.

"We had a good old row," Bono said of his meeting with Bush. "What I just can't agree with him on is the numbers."

Congress is weighing a $2 billion (1.26 billion pounds) spending request for next year that would provide the first installment for Bush's five-year, $15 billion plan to combat AIDS.

Bono, the lead singer of U2 who founded an advocacy group for issues affecting Africa, said the AIDS epidemic had reached crisis proportions, with millions of children in Africa orphaned by the deadly virus. ---

Ride Don’t Drive It’s Global Cool

n/t

I love you baby but you have got to know who you are dealing with here. I am talking Grinch stuff. Typical repub/chimp tactics are to Promise everything that looks great politically for them, cut the funding quietly, then watch said good cause die a quiet death. You wont see a stinkin penny if they have their way....

He has entered the school of hard knocks.....

Bono should develop some ethics...
He got played by Helm, O'Neill and now Bush
Oh and lest we forget his forceful denounciation of the Iraq War...
'He is profoundly wrong' when asked about Blur's sniffing Bush's crotch...

Bob Geldof already figured it was a suckers' play to bother with Bush and few noticed the spending request for last year was only 2 billion as well and the ReGOPs argued it down even more...
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0711-08.htm

Also few noticed that Bush cut US contributions to the Global Fund which covers drugs to many Third World disease (TB, malaria, as well as AIDs) for his grand 'gesture'

His top priority is aid for Africa. If that means meeting with the Powers that Be, even though those powers are of a diametrically opposed political viewpoint, that's what he has to do. What you call "being played," I call doing what he has to do to save lives. It's called being an adult.

..

he did praise bush for declaring that he would commit $5bn for HIV Aids in Africa, Now he's come collecting and * is a little short this month.

Bono is too shrewd, The WH probably saw this as a photo op to attract young voters and it's gonna backfire. Bono won't back down on this issue and will hold * accountable. He should be speaking to 15,000 a night come this time next summer and fall doncha know.

Give him props for being one of the few White Men who really and truly is sticking it out there for all of Africa. There's nothing in it for him, no legions of fans in sub saharan Africa, no money, or any more fame, just people that the world refuse to value as equal.

Someone taking it to the Boy George? Good on ya, Bono!

I'm pissed, too, at the lack of HIV/AIDS money. Even today USAID is backing off an $8M (I think) pledge to Brazil. Say one thing and do another. If Bono is the person we need to get this point across, I say "Go for it!"

The world can't wait until 1/05. Bono is just doing what he has to -- by 2004, millions more will be dead, there will be hundreds of thousands more orphans, hundreds of thousands more infected. * made a promise, Bono is just showing that * is yet again lying. Notice there were no pictures of the 2 of them together this time.

I just hope the new U2 CD will come out soon -- it's been 3 years since the last!

Bush's AIDS initiative, unveiled in his State of the Union address in January, would provide anti-viral treatment to HIV people in Africa and the Caribbean who cannot afford it.

Bush has held back his support for the full $3 billion for 2004 because of a concern that a system is not yet in place to use the money effectively, White House officials have said.

"You need to make sure the infrastructure is in place for those resources to be spent," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters

bush was "a man of his word." He caught hell for that here. I myself wasn't impressed and thought, at the time, boy, Bono, he's playing you for a sucker. Now, perhaps Bono can see him for what he is. Bono was, I'm sure, just trying to raise money for a good cause - of saving lives. He didn't realize Mr. "bring 'em on" only likes to spend money on war, killing, looting, and wreckage.