On Talking to Everyone

Jesse Helms died today, on the fourth of July. He did a very good thing in working on increasing aid—America’s “historic $5bn aid package for the world’s poorest countries”—through Jubilee 2000. “As the president put it in his speech: “Dick Cheney walked into the Oval office, he said, ’Jesse Helms wants us to listen to Bono’s idea.’” Bono: “(The) 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 its 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... [read full story]