Right after Bob Geldof spoke at the White House Summit on International Development yesterday, he spoke with CNN International on the White House lawn. ONE’s Tom Gavin was there and captured it on tape for our ONE Blog readers. Some of Bob’s most striking comments:

“I think there’s a great understanding that we can’t let the economic crisis turn into a human crisis. You know the food and fuel crisis already knocked the poor back and what we can’t let happen is the financial crisis smothers them…

The impact upon us by cutting aid to the poor will be enormous. This isn’t the time to do it. So you know I hate getting activisty emotional rhetoric, but it is betrayal to the weakest people. The problem with this for me is that the political commitment of the powerful to the weak is the most sacred promise you can make. It’s the powerful to the weak, the rich to the poor. When you break it you kill them. It’s really simple stuff this. “

The full video clip below, and transcript after the jump.

I think there’s a great understanding that we can’t let the economic crisis turn into a human crisis. You know the food and fuel crisis already knocked the poor back and what we can’t let happen is the financial crisis smothers them. So really the emphasis has been on that. How do you build on the legacy of this administration? How does the new administration build on that? It’s quite a legacy, and you know both Senators McCain and Obama have reiterated time and again that they are prepared to go the mile with this so it focused on that.

What really is exemplified- the Bush Administration’s efforts in Africa – has been one of cooperation. That’s what makes it unusual. It’s sort of like a paradigm for the future. You know the cooperation was across the floor. It was the Senate. It was the House. It was the president. It was Frist and Kerry, Republican and Democrat. It was Don Payne from the Congress. It was a whole slew of people, but directed by the president. And when the president would authorize you know millions, billions from Congress, they would add to it. It is a bizarre phenomenon. It was like America discovered suddenly this great continent and just out of, beyond self-interest, there were other reasons why were doing it, and I think this is going to be one of the political major stories of the 21st century. So, I don’t think it’s a choice for any new incoming administration. They must deal with this. And as for international cooperation, often it was the White House that pushed the Europeans in a given direction that they had to meet them on. And you know, I’m not afraid of the American administration reneging on their promises, I’m afraid of Sarkosy, I’m afraid of Berlusconi, who I wrote to this morning, completely crapping out on their promises. This cannot be allowed.

We have quite close ties with both the campaigns and their African development people. And even today at the conference they were insistent to me, personally, that this was going to go ahead, and more. But in Europe that’s not what we’re getting. I was with Sarkosy two weeks ago. I was with Christine Lagarde, the finance minister, and they’re just saying they have no choice but to cut back.

The impact upon us by cutting aid to the poor will be enormous. This isn’t the time to do it.

So you know I hate getting activisty emotional rhetoric, but it is betrayal to the weakest people. The problem with this for me is that a political commitment of the powerful to the weak is the most sacred promise you can make. It’s the powerful to the weak, the rich to the poor. When you
break it you kill them. It’s really simple stuff this. And you know, were I a political leader or a nation, I would not want that on my hands. It can’t pertain.

-Virginia Simmons