Neil Young: Singing From the Hope and Change Songbook

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In the past rocker Neil Young has been about as consistent with his political opinions as Barack Obama has been on the his relationship with Rev. Wright. The mercurial Young was on the top of his game yesterday during the “Charlie Rose Show”. At one point during the interview Young appeared to regret past remarks that castigated President Bush:  

Criticizing the President and doing this and that and talking about things in the first person and getting right in there. It is like I got sucked into it. I was part of the turmoil myself. Which I wasn't happy about, and I am not happy about it now. But it happened.

After Young voiced his regret for having been one of President Bush’s most rabid critics he predictably contradicted himself and scolded the chief executive.: 

This is not the way it should be. I felt like we were being lied to and things weren't true and we were getting told, sold a bill of goods and even, you know -- we know the story. We have seen the news. We’ve have seen the congressional or the senate subcommittees and the things they have discovered that were wrong, you know, things weren't as they were told to us to be.

 Following that banal censure of President Bush, Young promptly attacked CNN for doing the exact same thing!: 

 “I am not CNN, I don't play it over and over.”

 Actually Neil, you do play it over and over, just check the tape. Neil Young’s history of erratic opinions sounds like a broken record. In 2002 Neil Young recorded a deeply moving and patriotic tune titled “Let’s Roll”. The rocker followed that song up with his vitriolic 2006 album titled “Let Impeach The President”. This year Young again flip-flopped by defending President Bush (see related NewsBusters item).  Young  switches his political views as often as Madonna changes her wardrobe. With a past marred by flip-flops it seems rather fitting that Neil Young’s joined the Barack Obama bandwagon. The transcript follows:

Charlie Rose: This -- back to the USA Today. Your sense of outrage about the war was already there when you saw this?

Neil Young: Yeah I think it was, I, I, it is sad thing, and I see it like not -- I look at it Charlie like why? Why are we doing this? Why is the human race doing this? And its, you know, I try to step back and see it and, I, you know, in this record I got really involved in the present, which is like turmoil, it’s terrible to be involved in, you know, criticizing the President and doing this and that and talking about things in the first person and getting right in there. It is like I got sucked into it. I was part of the turmoil myself. Which I wasn't happy about, and I am not happy about it now. But it happened.

Rose: When being sucked into the turmoil is being part of the debate.

Young: Being part of living with war. I was sucked into it and I was, I got angry, I was angry about things that were happening and I, this is just not right. This is not the way it should be. I felt like we were being lied to and things weren't true and we were getting told, sold a bill of goods and even, you know -- we know the story. We have seen the news. We’ve have seen the congressional or the senate subcommittees and the things they have discovered that were wrong, you know, things weren't as they were told to us to be. So, but I don't want to harp on that. Where I want to go –

Rose: You have an album?

Young: Yeah, we did the album, I did the album, I said all of what I had to say and now I don't like to do it again. I don't like singing the songs, I did it, I am not CNN, I don't play it over and over.

Rose: I know how you feel about that. I’ve read that. Actually I agree with that.