Because Bono is the only celebrity these days we like equally for his musicianship and philanthropy, we'll take his latest comments on the state of U2 and America more seriously.

Here are some highlights of an interview he gave to the Associated Press as U2's North American tour comes to a close.

ON THE POST-ELECTION OPTIMISM ENDING SO FAST: "I didn't think it could come to this so quickly, after the joyous occasion of that election. I thought America was looking good. ... Things are getting a little rough now."

ON FUNDING TO FIGHT AIDS IN AFRICA: "The Obama administration is just getting going. (He) has promised to double aid over the next years, because even though (President George W.) Bush tripled it, ... the United States is still about half as what European countries give as a percentage, and I think he knows that's not right."

ON THE DISAPPOINTING NEW ALBUM: "We felt that the album was a kind of an almost extinct species, and we should approach it in totality and create a mood and a feeling, and a beginning, middle and an end. And I suppose we've made a work that is a bit challenging for people who have grown up on a diet of pop stars."

Click here to read the full story, which includes some candid remarks from The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. 

[Getty Images]