Bono--An Economist/Statesman in the Making?

Irish rocker, Bono 

Bono's at it again. Lobbying, that is. For the world's poor. In Congress.

Yes, Irish singer Bono walks the walk on behalf of the poorest of the poor around the globe, especially those living a subsistence existence in Africa. And he's winning accolades for that effort.

Said former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas: "I don't assume that a rock star is going to be lucid on the esoterics of economics." He gave Bono an "A-plus" for being well-informed and intensely devoted to the issues.

"I told him he's my favorite pest. He keeps coming back," said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "It's not unusual for members of Congress to be lobbied by stars and starlets. Usually it's a one-time stand. He's different. He clearly cares. He's clearly committed."

"He's transcended music," said former Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio, who met Bono through Arnold Schwarzenegger and later introduced the musician to Helms and Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. "He's gone from a rock band to a rock band with a purpose."

Said Santorum: "He knows the importance of 302b allocations," the arcane congressional terminology that refers to amount of money the appropriations committee doles out to each department and agency.

Bono is one smart cookie. He knows how to be taken seriously, even going so far as to study under Jeffrey Sachs, Professor of Economics at Columbia University. No one man show is Bono, either. DATA (Debt, Aids, Trade Africa) is the name of the nonprofit organization Bono founded in 2002. Record sales are not the only measure of a rock star. Not when his name is Bono.

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