Bono on Bloomberg: Our paths will cross

NEW YORK - Bono sang the praises of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, declaring that his fellow philanthropist "could do an awful lot of good inside or outside the White House."
Wearing his trademark wraparound sunglasses and a black and gray striped shirt unbuttoned to his sternum, the rock star stopped briefly on his way in and out of City Hall on Thursday to chat with reporters.

He said he was invited to meet with the mayor, who wanted to know what the singer had been working on with his philanthropic projects. The U2 frontman (real name: Paul Hewson) co-founded DATA — Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa — which is dedicated to fighting poverty and AIDS in Africa.

Bloomberg, a billionaire and longtime philanthropist, has recently begun shaping and expanding the foundation that will focus on giving his money away — which he swears will be his next job, despite speculation that he will run for president.

"I think our paths are going to cross," Bono said. They talked about poverty initiatives as well as fighting malaria, he 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.

He was asked whether he thought Bloomberg, who dropped his Republican affiliation to become an independent, could do more good as a president or philanthropist.

"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.