Elton John: George W. Bush Has Done More to Fight AIDS Than Any U.S. President

Elton John didn't care much for George W. Bush's policies -- in fact, the singer once called him "the worst thing that ever happened to America" -- but in terms of fighting AIDS, he admits, Dubya has done more than any U.S. president.

"He was amazingly informed about AIDS," John said in a recent interview with the ABC News/Yahoo! Power Play series, recalling the time he met Bush after the Kennedy Center Honors. "He treated us with such kindness. I had so much respect for him."

A longtime crusader against the disease, John credits Bush for enacting the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a $15 million program aimed at prevention and treatment in Africa.

"One of the old adages in life is never judge someone until you meet them," John said. "I found him charming. I found him well informed. And I found him determined to do something about the AIDS situation. So I changed my opinion of him."

"I learned a lesson," he added.

Elton also had kind words for Barack Obama, whose LGBT-friendly achievements include revoking a law prohibiting HIV-positive people from entering the United States, abolishing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and throwing his support behind gay marriage.

"He's breaking down the barriers so much," John said.

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