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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bono, O'Neill Tour Africa to Increase Poverty Awareness

Aired May 21, 2002 - 05:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: One of the most famous rock stars in the world has joined with the man who holds the purse strings of the U.S. government. Yes, U2's Bono and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill are touring Africa. Today they're in Ghana.

CNN's Ron Brownstein has more on the men and their mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Using celebrities to shine a spotlight on political causes is nothing new. In World War I, the federal government deputized Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, the first stars of the silver screen, to sell war bonds. Stars like Marlon Brando...

MARLON BRANDO: Hey, Stella!

BROWNSTEIN: Paul Newman and Harry Belafonte brought visibility and credibility to the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements long before they reached the critical mass of public support. And entertainers have been lending their glamour to presidential campaigns ever since Al Jolson warbled for Warren Harding in the jazz age.

But in the long history of celebrity politics, there has never been anything quite like the joint expedition to Africa between Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Bono, the lead singer of the mega rock band U2. At 66, O'Neill is the loose cannon of the Bush cabinet, the one senior administration official who never seems to be reading from a White House script.

At 42, Bono may now be the most politically effective celebrity in the world. Though he promotes liberal causes of reducing Third World debt and increasing foreign aid, the Irish superstar has built relationships not only with left of center politicians like Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but conservatives like Jesse Helms, President Bush and now O'Neill.

The trip will provide Bono an unparalleled forum to make his case for greater aid to the world's poorest countries. It will give O'Neill a chance to showcase the Bush administration's drive to more closely tie foreign aid to proven results on the ground. Above all, the trip will demonstrate how fame has become a tangible form of political power through its ability to command the attention of the media. More than two dozen reporters will follow the duo, offering more coverage of Africa in a week than it often receives in a year.

It's easy to poke fun at celebrity do-gooders, but without Bono's presence, it's difficult to believe that so many reporters would be trekking to places where the streets have no name.

This is Ron Brownstein for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And, by the way, our own Daryn Kagan is in Africa right now traveling with Secretary O'Neill and Bono. Watch for her live reports later on this morning on CNN.

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