NY, Oct 03: Rock 'n' roll superstar Bruce Springsteen wraps up his worldwide "The Rising" tour on a political note this weekend in New York, where the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks provided inspiration for his latest songs. Springsteen wove strong criticism of the administration of President Bush into the first of the final three shows at Shea Stadium on Wednesday night, playing a recording of Bush talking about weapons of mass destruction, questioning America's motives for the war in Iraq and calling for Bush's defeat as he seeks re-election next year.
"It is time to impeach the president and put in somebody that knows what they're doing," the musician, known as "The Boss," told the crowd.
Heading into the hit "Born in the U.S.A.," he said: "The question of whether we were misled into the war in Iraq isn't a liberal or conservative or Republican or Democratic question, it's an American one.

"Demanding accountability from our leaders is our responsibility, our job as citizens," he said.

The impact his message made in the vast open-air baseball stadium, where some 50,000 people sat, was mixed. True believers clapped harder, while more casual fans chatted or wandered in search of cold beer as Springsteen paused to speak or play his quieter tunes.
Bureau Report