Bono is as liberal as they come, AND has a big mouth, but he's just a little smarter than Eddie about knowing his audience. I saw U2 in concert right after 9-11, and it was probably all acting, but they did exactly the right thing. At the end of one of their sets, Bono had draped his flag jacket on Larry's drum, walked back to the mike, and soberly said "that flag has has done a lot for me." Maybe worded a little awkwardly, but the tone was right, and the message came across. Is it any surpise that U2 is wildly popular? Musicians should take some lessons from this Irish band on how to market themselves to an American demographic. They can't expect to trumpet their silly leftist beliefs AND make lot's of money any more.