At lunch today I got to watch some live coverage of the opening of the Clinton library in Arkansas. It was pouring rain. On hand were the Clintons, the various Bushes, the Carters, world leader types, and 4 plane loads of red and blue and yellow poncho wearing congressmen and senators.

Bono and The Edge were also there. After Bush 43 delivered a nice oratory relatively unencumbered by the unlanguage of modern speech writing, the rockers came out, Bono carrying an enormous umbrella and asking for a chamois. As they played their wet duets on the spartan stage, the presidential families started getting out of their seats and edging around to watch them. Their umbrellas of state got in each other’s way. President Bush the younger was at the back, and he bobbed on his tippy toes and ducked around behind the Clintons to get a better view. Bono put down his umbrella and stepped into the mic for a soaking wet rendition of Sunday Bloody Sunday. “This is a little more rock and roll than we thought” he said afterwards. His fancy jacket and purple shirt and oh so rock and roll hair were plastered.

The event might have been sterile and staged on a sunny afternoon, but the water running down off the umbrellas, and soaking the eyebrows of the speakers gave it charm and honesty.