I'm still a little confused at some of the reactions to the use of "Beautiful Day". The use of the song isn't a big deal legally, or wasn't until it was nationaly broadcast live at the convention.
You're living under a rock if you don't think Bono has strong left leaning beliefs, and always has. But if we're talking about in respect to his current political endeavours, and the current political climate, perhaps the smartest thing to do is to refer to quotes from Bono himself. He tells Bush he's "from the other side of the road" to him. Kinda spells it out....
(thanks many to EPandAmerica who hunted most of these down in another thread)
(On Iraq)
From: Reuters - Feb 28, 2003
Rock star Bono, who has made a name for himself as a campaigner for Third World debt and poverty relief, said on Friday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair's backing for possible war on Iraq was "sincerely wrong."
"Tony Blair is not going to war for oil. Tony Blair is sincere in his convictions about Iraq," said Bono, speaking after a meeting with French President Jacques Chirac.
"In my opinion he (Blair) is sincerely wrong," said the Irish lead singer of rock band U2, wearing his trade-mark wrap-around glasses and a black suit.
(On mixing with politicians he doesn't necessarily agree with)
From: MuchMusic - Nov 21, 2003
I'm representing countries who are still paying more servicing old debts than they are on health and education. They're my boss. I'm working for them. I just have to gag myself now, and I meet people who I wouldn't have-- Irishly, I wouldn't want to drink with, but I'll have supper with the devil if that's what it takes to get the job done and I probably have.
From: The Age - July 26, 2003
It is amazing what President Bush has done on AIDS. Those of us who worked on that were very proud when he put that in his State of Union speech this year. To put AIDS third on the bill in a State of the Union speech by a conservative president was unthinkable a few years ago."
Bono believes that he comes "from the other side of the road" to George Bush.
"I've lost my colour in order to do the work that I do.
The people who often pay for one's convictions are other people. But President Bush and the people around him and that I deal with regularly, and Colin Powell, have been true to their word dealing with me on two issues. One was something called the Millennium Challenge Account, into which he put $US10 billion for three years, which was a new way of seeing aid as a sort of fast track to countries that were tackling corruption and had good governments.
"We worked incredibly closely with them on the Millennium Challenge Account. As a result, I appeared in a photograph with President Bush. Now this, of course, set my band on edge, and meeting Jesse Helms and George Bush for someone like the Edge, he just can't get his head around it.
"But I have always said that there are too many lives at stake here to play politics. We have to elevate the debate. We have to, and I have to stay not bi-partisan but actually non-partisan.
From: The Guardian - March 17, 2002
It's a strategy that comes with risks. Is it possible to appear in public with the likes of Helms and Bush and preserve that precious commodity -- street-cred? If it's not, says Bono, it's a price worth paying. "Edge was pleading with me not to hang out with the conservatives. He said, 'You're not going to have a picture with George Bush?' I said I'd have lunch with Satan if there was so much at stake. I have friends who won't speak to me because of Helms. But it's very important not to play politics with this. Millions of lives are being lost for the stupidest of reasons: money. And not even very much money. So let's not play, Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Let's rely on the moral force of our arguments."