Bono Nixed Adams Visa

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Irish Voice Entertainment

Bono Nixed Adams Visa

November 7, 2007

by Debbie McGoldrick

YET another fascinating interview with – guess who? – Bono in the current edition of Rolling Stone. The article centers heavily on his political activism, and the U2 singer revealed something that hasn’t been known to date – or, at least, wasn’t known to “Page 2.”

Did any of you know that President Bill Clinton was to-ing and fro-ing about issuing the first U.S. entry visa to Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams in 1994, Bono was one of those he sought for advice? As the man tells it, “Bill Clinton once rang us, because he was collecting opinions on whether he should give Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams a visa into the United States. I thought, ‘These people have put bombs in supermarkets, and many innocent people have lost their lives.’”

Bono advised against allowing Adams in. “So I said, ‘No. Don’t dignify them.’ And he said, ‘But shouldn’t you always talk to people?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, but you dignify them.’”

Bono readily admits that he was wrong, and, thankfully, the president didn’t take his advice on board. Adams was issued his visa in February of 1994, which lifted the Irish peace process onto a new level.

“Clinton did exactly the right thing in talking to the Provisional IRA and other extremist elements,” Bono acknowledged, adding that he feels the time is right for U.S. dialogue with Hamas and al-Qaeda.

“But then you’ve also got to try to cut off the oxygen supply of hatred, which is false ideas about who you are as an American, who you are in the west. I know that sounds like limp liberalism, but it’s really not,” he said.

The political pow-wows never stop for Bono, it seems. Last week he enjoyed a meeting with the billionaire mayor of New York – and possible 2008 White House contender? – Michael Bloomberg.

Though the mayor has said, not entirely convincingly, that he has no desire to run for the ultimate office, his new pal Bono thinks he’d be a great contender.

“He’s a great and gifted manager and I think he could do an awful lot of good inside or outside the White House,” Bono said.

“What I’m interested in is not just his cash, but his intellect, and how his business acumen could be used to work for the world’s poor,” Bono said. “I think our paths are going to cross.”

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