This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

After the State of the Union, Sen. Orrin Hatch was sharing his reaction to the speech (he liked it, if you were wondering), and he threw out an interesting tidbit:

"Bono called me tonight," he said.

"The Bono?" was the obvious question.

"Yes. He's in Utah right now," Hatch said.

Apparently, when visiting Utah, it's a good idea to check in with the state's senior senator/songwriter. Hatch says he assured Bono he was pushing for more AIDS treatment funding for Africa, a major Bono cause that Bush mentioned in his speech.

Hatch added that the U2 superstar - who once gave Hatch the nickname Johnny Trapdoor - was very impressed with how beautiful Utah is.

"Bono just complimented our state like you can't believe," Hatch said.

Maybe Bono has finally found what he was looking for.

Shrek III: Biggest Loser

Mike Leavitt has a colorful pitchman to help convince kids it's time to put down the Ding Dongs and get off the couch. The color is green.

Shrek, the movie ogre, will appear in a series of public service announcements backed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Shrek and the HHS secretary unveiled the ads last week, and they are scheduled to run all month.

Who better to reach kids than a 400-pound flatulent green ogre? (That's a reference to Shrek, not Leavitt).

And if the kids don't lose weight, maybe the computer geniuses at Dreamworks can just whip up some digital magic, create the illusion of movement and make 'em all appear 80 pounds lighter.

Y'all Come Back Now!

Want a glimpse of the joy that was the impeachment-era Clinton marriage? In his just-released book, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe tells a story that won't show up in Utah's tourism ads.

McAuliffe writes that he joined Bill and Hillary Clinton on a trip to Utah shortly after the impeachment vote in 1998.

The first lady and now-presidential-candidate seethed through much of the trip, flipping through TV stations that rubbed the raw nerves with their constant coverage of the impeachment fight, finally settling on scandal-free ESPN.

"Hillary just kept clicking until she ended up on ESPN, not her favorite, but the president and I were happy and at least they weren't whacking the Clintons," McAuliffe writes in What a Party! My Life Among Democrats.

"Here we were just trying to heal this family, and even watching TV was an ordeal," he wrote.

Yeesh. Sounds like they had a lovely time in Utah. At least the president didn't designate a huge monument to take his mind off things.

Obamamania Strikes

During a recent news conference promoting plug-in hybrid vehicles, Sen. Orrin Hatch was showing symptoms that he may have contracted Obamamania.

Sen. Barack Obama was supposed to show at the event but didn't.

Said Hatch, "I understand Sen. Barack Obama was also hoping to swing by to express his support.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't show. Evidently he's at the White House today measuring the drapes."

Loose Ends

Nothing like a deadline to force one to wrap up that long-lingering project.

It was Dec. 28 when Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced that Bureau of Land Management Director Kathleen Clarke was leaving her post so she could return to Utah and spend more time with her family. Her last day was to be Jan. 31.

One of her last official acts? Apparently it was finishing her letter of resignation, which finally went to President Bush on Jan. 29, just before her desk was slated to be packed up.