The Celebrity Truth

Rocker Bruce Springsteen has defended Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama’s recent controversial comments about small town Americans, claiming that the comments were “ripped out of context”, and that Obama was “head and shoulders above the rest” of the presidential candidates.

Springsteen wrote a message to fans via his website, saying that the Illinois Senator’s comments – that some small town Americans were "bitter" and clung to religion and guns – had been ripped out of context.

"Like most of you, I’ve been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest," Springsteen wrote.

"He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems.

"At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships.

"While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man’s life and vision … often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment."

Obama’s rivals Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain have used his comments in San Francisco last week, to portray him as being less understanding about the struggles of blue collar Americans.

Springsteen believes that Obama is the best candidate to lead a "great American reclamation project", and to mend the "terrible damage" of the last eight years.

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Photo courtesy of Columbia Records.