Rick Santorum, starfucker

I was shocked to hear that Rick Santorum was "teaming up" with U2 for a fundraiser. Bono prefers to work the system from the inside, including traveling to Africa with members of the Bush administration. He also frequently meets with politicians of all stripes to lobby for debt relief. I couldn't imagine that he'd have anything to do with a cro-magnon American Taliban type like Santorum.

From the NewsMax article:

Teaming up with the legendary rock group U2 for a one-night only appearance will be Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.).

[...]

Santorum met Bono earlier this year, having been introduced by John Kasich, the former Congressman from Ohio and host of Fox News Channel’s "Heartland.”
So what does the Irish rocker have in common with the conservative senator?

As in the case of Santorum, Bono’s religious convictions inform his activities.

The U2 leader shared some of his faith perspectives with the author of the book "Bono in Conversation.” He said, "It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people.”

Santorum told "Christianity Today” that "faith is a source of morality; it’s a source of virtue; it’s a source of reason. It’s a tremendous influence on my worldview.”

[...]

Organizer of the event, Sean Wolfington, sees these two as fitting together quite well.

Wolfington puts it this way: "It's truly appropriate for U2, a band with a purpose, to be involved in a fund-raiser with Senator Rick Santorum, a politician with a purpose. Both men are passionate about what they believe and their faith is very important to them.”

Sounds like a joint press release, no? Not exactly.

Brian at Santorum Exposed has gotten to the bottom of it.

So, it seems like Rick has access to a luxury box that he is using during the U2 concert for a $1,000-a-head fundraiser. That's just a little bit different than U2 "teaming up" with Rick Santorum. Perhaps someone close to Rick misrepresented the situation to NewsMax.com?

Considering how badly Santorum tugged on Superman's cape, I would have expected a Springsteen-class smackdown. Bono was more diplomatic. Here's the press release:

STATEMENT BY JAMIE DRUMMOND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DATA (debt AIDS trade Africa), THE AFRICA ADVOCACY GROUP CO-FOUNDED BY BONO:

“It is not uncommon for politicians, from both parties, to organize events at all kinds of music concerts. If any such events take place at a u2 concert, it is without the involvement or knowledge of Data, U2 or Bono. U2 concerts are categorically not fundraisers for any politician - they are rock concerts for U2 fans."