Bush: Bono ‘Became a Pal’

When he was in the White House, George W. Bush and rock star Bono worked together to eradicate AIDS in Africa — to the point that the U2 leader became the president’s buddy, Bush tells Fox News.

“He was skeptical of me, and frankly I was skeptical of him,” Bush said. “And we became pals because we shared a common desire to help others on the continent of Africa.

“Bono’s the real deal,” Bush added in an interview with his former press secretary Dana Perino.

Assessing his presidency, Bush said, “I know I gave it my all. I know I didn’t sell my soul. I know we dealt with some pretty tough problems. . . . I know our White House was a joyful place.”

Bush also discussed a 2008 press conference in Iraq during which someone threw shoes at him, Politico reports. Bush ducked the missiles and carried on with the press conference.

“In order for democracy to function, there has to be a vibrant press,” he said. “And in Iraq, when the guy threw the shoe, I wanted to do two things. One, I didn’t want to leave, I didn’t want to give him a slight victory . . . But I also wanted to say to the young Iraqi press corps, I want to answer your questions.”

Bush said he follows current events closely. “I know what’s in the news. But most of these opinion pages are pretty predictable,” he said.