“Provided the planet survives long enough for us to observe these muddled times from a safe distance, music historians might someday credit George W. Bush’s presidency with giving rock ‘n’ roll activism its biggest boost since the Vietnam War… it was big news last week when heartland hero Bruce Springsteen — one of those performers who’s always come across as political without being overtly so — stepped into the coming U.S. election fray by announcing he would join such disparate types as R.E.M., John Fogerty, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Death Cab for Cutie, Bonnie Raitt, Jurassic 5 and Babyface in a series of anti-Bush concerts to be held in American ‘swing states’ this coming October.”