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Monday, May 09, 2005

Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst) has this wonderful song ridiculing the literal suggestion that W talks with God. I, like many others, deplore the practice of assigning the responsibility for controversial actions to the specific commands a personal God. I can excuse schizophrenics, but not world leaders (unless they are also schizophrenic), and especially not world leaders who claim such divine conversations to gain cheap political advantage. The song is getting plenty of attention, especially after he played it on the Leno show last week. It's rather Dylan-like in structure and mood, but, however clever, it lacks Dylan's sophisticated subtlety.
"When The President Talks To God"

When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our women's rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs. the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends

When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess god just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God

When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?

I doubt it

I doubt it
The song is not available on any album, but it is a free download from iTunes.

Lyrics from plyrics.com

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