"America is my country," he declared, to loud applause. And the Irish rocker, wearing a medal that had just been placed around his neck by ex-President George H.W. Bush, who chairs the Constitution Center, indeed had quite a few good things to say about this nation that he's adopted, at least philosophically...

BUT...

But his strongest words of the night were this warning:

Today I read in the Economist an article reporting that over 38 percent of Americans support some type of torture in exceptional circumstances. My country? No. Your country? Tell me no. Today, when I receive this great honor, I ask you, I implore you as an Irishman who has seen some of these things close up, I ask you to remember, you do not have to become a monster to defeat a monster. Your America’s better than that.

He expounded on that theme earlier in the day, when he met with some editorial writers and reporters at the offices of the Daily News and Inquirer. He was asked a question about America's standing in the world, in light of Abu Ghraib:

You lead the world in fighting HIV AIDS,, but these are dangerous times for America. Brand USA has never been in such a vulnerable state," Bono responded.

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