A Boss Backing for Obama

Bruce Springsteen latest celeb to hop on Obama bandwagon, joining Winfrey and Clooney

Does the opinion of Heidi Montag mean nothing to Bruce Springsteen?

In an open letter to "friends and fans," the rock legend said Wednesday he was backing Sen. Barack Obama for president.

"Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand," Springsteen wrote in a post on his website. "Sen. Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest."

The endorsement comes two weeks after The Hills' Montag made it known she totally liked Sen. John McCain for the Oval Office.

While Montag said she favored McCain because he's a Republican, like her, Springsteen said he favored Obama because, essentially, he's an E Streeter, like him.

"He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years," Springsteen wrote.

Obama returned the compliment.

"The America that Bruce Springsteen has spoken about through song is one of big dreams, unyielding hope, and a resilient, hardworking people who struggle and sacrifice for a country as good as its promise," the senator said in a statement from his campaign.

In his letter, Springsteen implicitly defended Obama against recent attacks over his former pastor's sermons and the senator's own "bitter" people comment, saying the criticisms were "distract[ing] us from discussing the real issues."

Springsteen has long been a critic of President Bush. His 2007 CD, Magic, was an album-length comment on the Iraq War. On 60 Minutes last fall, he dismissed the suggestion that his protests were unpatriotic.

"It's unpatriotic at any given moment to sit back and let things pass that are damaging to some place that you love so dearly," Springsteen told the newsmagazine.

While Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." was a hallmark of President Reagan's 1984 reelection campaign, much to the annoyance of its author, the musician didn't formally enter presidential politics until 2004, when he granted his first-ever White House endorsement to Sen. John Kerry.

Springsteen's name didn't get Kerry over the hump, and his endorsement comes too late to help Obama in the singer's home state of New Jersey, where Sen. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary over Obama in February. Obama, nevertheless, said he was "honored" to have the rocker's support.

In backing Obama, Springsteen joins Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ed Norton, Larry David and Kal Penn as one of the senator's celebrity campaigners. Donors, per the tracking site FundRace, include Jamie Foxx, Garry Shandling, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Newman, Will Smith, Geena Davis, Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, ex-Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington, and Clinton's own Bosnian travel partner, Sinbad.

Clinton's A-list corner includes Barbra Streisand, Rob Reiner, Ted Danson, Ugly Betty's America Ferrera and Magic Johnson. Financial donors include Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Chevy Chase.

Tobey Maguire and Ben Stiller are among those who have cut checks to both Obama and Clinton, the site's records show.

In addition to Montag, McCain has been hyped by 61-year-old Rocky star Sylvester Stallone, and supported financially by 80-year-old singer Andy Williams.