Toby Keith, Barack Obama’s latest fan

I did not see this one coming.

County music star Toby Keith has endorsed Barack Obama. This follows recent news that Pres. Dwight Eisenhower’s granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, called Obama “the future of America.” What next, Cindy McCain holding an Obama fundraiser?

The reason I am slightly stunned at the news that Keith is on the Obama team is the country star’s history. Best known for his threatening “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” subtitled, “The Angry American,” Keith is a bit, shall we say, hawkish. The song was recorded some time after the 9/11 attacks, and directed at terrorists.

Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly and it’s gonna be hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell.
And it’ll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you.
Ah, brought to you, courtesy of the red, white and blue.

What next, Cindy McCain holding an Obama fundraiser?

Oh, justice will be served and the battle will rage:
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage.
An’ you’ll be sorry that you messed with the U.S. of A.
‘Cos we’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way.

Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines criticized the song as reinforcing American and country music stereotypes.

“Don’t get me started,” Maines told the Los Angeles Daily News. “I hate it. It’s ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant. It targets an entire culture - and not just the bad people who did bad things. You’ve got to have some tact. Anybody can write, ‘We’ll put a boot in your ass.’ But a lot of people agree with it.

Keith responded by displaying a backdrop at his concerts that had been PhotoShopped to show Maines with Saddam Hussein. Way to show what a truly ignorant dumbass you were being, Toby!

But even ignorant dumbasses can wake up to the fact that they’ve been played, and there was no threat from Saddam Hussein, and our troops were used, not in the cause of “Mother Freedom,” but for some neocon ego and power trip.

Asked while promoting his new movie “Beer For My Horses” about the role of patriotism in the current presidential election, Keith replied: “There’s a big part of America that really believes that there is a war on terrorism, and that we need to finish up.

“So I thought it was beautiful the other day when Obama went to Afghanistan and got educated about Afghanistan and Iraq. He came back and said some really nice things.

“So as far as leadership and patriotism goes, I think it’s really important that those things have to take place. And I think he’s the best Democratic candidate we’ve had since Bill Clinton. And that’s coming from a Democrat.”

Toby Keith says he’s a Democrat. Who knew?