Opinion
Sir Bob goes to bat for Bush
By: Jeff Dufour
Editor at Large/Columnist, "Yeas & Nays"
10/22/08 12:05 AM EDT
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Sir Bob Geldof, the former rock star turned advocate for global poverty relief, followed President Bush in the program at Tuesday's White House Summit on International Development. And it was easy to see why. While most celebs and artists take glee in knocking the president, the man behind Live Aid had only plaudits for our short-timer of a commander-in-chief.
In fact, said the shaggy-haired and tie-less musician, "It's why I'm here." Geldof praised the Bush administration for its increased commitment to aid for Africa, "a story that's not been told." And he pleaded with the crowd to "tell that story. ... You can't leave it up to a couple of Paddy pop stars to tell it" (the other being Bono).
"It's no small legacy," he added, and Bush has "set the bar quite high" for Barack Obama or John McCain.
Not that Bush has everything going for him. When speculating about the president's post-White House occupation, Geldof joked that he wouldn't be a very good roadie.
Geldof, who rarely cracks a smile even when cracking a joke, also couldn't resist needling the crowd and the organizers. "Frankly this is a pretty small crowd for me," making a quick reference to his former life as a rock star.
His entrance music could've been better, too. "The least the organizers could have done was to assure that I wouldn't walk in to the strains of Sting," he said. "They could have found an old Boomtown Rats song."
After the speech, he headed to the White House, where he conducted media interviews from the North Lawn.
It was Geldof's second appearance in D.C. in less than three weeks. Earlier this month, he received an award at the annual YouthAIDS gala in Tysons Corner.
(Photo by Paul Morigi/One Campaign)
