Bono Mixes With Presidents

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IT'S been quite a week for Philadelphia. The local Phillies beat our atrocious New York Mets for a National League playoff spot, and a few days before, Bono was the guest of honor at an event where he was awarded the city's prestigious Liberty Medal, which is given annually to "individuals or organizations whose actions represent the founding principles of the United States." The U2 singer/ activist extraordinaire received his honor from last year's co-recipient, President George H.W. Bush, who shared the accolade with President Bill Clinton for their bi-partisan efforts towards securing Hurricane Katrina relief. Bono's work on behalf of underprivileged Africans has earned him kudos from leaders the world over, and once again he spoke eloquently about America's role as a beacon of hope for those who have none.

"Your America is where Neil Armstrong takes a walk on the moon," Bono during the ceremony at the National Constitution Center. "Your America gave Europe the Marshall Plan. Your America gave the world the Peace Corps.

"America is not just a country, it's an idea, isn't it? It's a great and powerful idea," he added. "America has so many great answers to offer. We can't fix all the world's problems, but the ones we can we must."

Bono donated the $100,000 prize money to DATA, (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), the group he co-founded to highlight the humanitarian disaster that many parts of Africa has become. The event was complete with Irish and African music, and undoubtedly a good time was had by all.

Last weekend Bono popped over to New York City to take part in the Clinton Global Initiative, which is no surprise as he's a regular attendee at the ex-prez's annual confab of world leaders. He was at the event's concert at the Apollo Theater, and was praised by everyone from Colombian singer Shakira to Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

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