Reply #28: Actually, if I was him, I would do the same thing

[Zuni]

he doesn't want to alienate anyone---he knows what he wants to do---aid impoverished people---he knows how to catch flies (with honey, not vinegar)

He wants to get as much support as possible, plus he wants to encourage Bush to pledge more aid money

I think it is smart to keep politics out of this. People who dislike Bush aren't just going to start loving him if no artists at the concert throw out some verbal barbs about him