Protest Song Research Assignment

In his eight years in office George Bush has been a huge target for protest songs because of his seemingly lack of intelligence and the many, many mistakes he has made during his time in office. One of the most ridiculous things that Bush has said during his presidency is that “God told him” to invade Iraq. The song When the President Talks to God written by Bright Eyes’ lead singer Conor Oberst touches on many subjects from Bush’s so called “mission from God’ to his anti-abortion views and hunger for oil.

At the Beginning of the song, the writer asks, “Does he ask to rape our women’s rights?” which is referring to Bush’s ban on abortion funding. The songwriter obviously believes that women deserve to choose weather or not they will keep or abort their babies and feels that Bush is robbing them of their ability to choose what they do with their own bodies. The songwriter also says “Does what God say ever change his mind” If you believe that Gods way of doing things is what’s right, and questioning weather or not Bush is swayed by God’s opinion is depicting him as a cold-hearted monster. After listening to the part that says “What voter fraud must be concealed” you can tell that the writer believes that the 2004 election was rigged as many others speculate. By the songwriter saying “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?’” you can tell that he definitely believes that the whole idea of Bush saying that God told him anything is just a bunch of crap.


Because of George Bush’s “mission from God,” there is an ongoing, eight year war in Iraq. So far, this war has cost about $800 billion of US taxpayer’s money. The war has killed 4690 people, and left over 31,582 American soldiers wounded, 20% of which have serious spinal or brain injuries. 30% of all US soldiers that return home, develop serious mental health problems after three months of returning home. An estimated 600,000 innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed because of this war, and only thanks to Obama will the madness stop soon.

I chose this song not only because it is by one of my favorite bands, but because I like the message of it and I think the writer is effective in getting his point across. I totally agree with the message of this song, and I believe that George Bush made several huge mistakes that cost a lot of lives, and further branded America with a reputation of being a violent nation. I could be wrong about him though, maybe God really did tell him to invade Iraq, just like Hitler claimed that God made him kill the Jews.


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 them more liqour 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?