Country Singer Rich Debuts "Raising McCain"

By: John Bentley
Topics: John McCain

(CBS)

From CBS News' John Bentley:

(PANAMA CITY, FLA.) – On a sweltering summer evening in the Florida panhandle, about 500 people gathered for the free "Country First" outdoor concert at Marina Civic Center Complex here to see John Rich (of the country duo "Big and Rich") debut the song "Raising McCain" he wrote for the Republican candidate.

"I'm sure Johnny Cash would have been a John McCain supporter if he was still around," Rich said, as he warmed up the crowd with "Walk the Line" (in fact, Cash was a distant cousin of Jimmy Carter through Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, and campaigned for Carter).

As Rich plowed through the raucous country and rock "Raising McCain," the senator's Straight Talk Express bus pulled up to the stage to let off McCain, his wife Cindy, as well as Florida governor Charlie Crist and his fianc?e Carole Rome.

McCain gave a brief speech about supporting the war in Iraq and asking for votes in this battleground state, before shaking hands with the crowd and flying back to Washington.

1 Comment Have Your Say
Email Story Send to a Friend
Share This Tell Your Friends
Tweet This Tweet This
More Share It

Add a Comment


by oldwhiteguy1 August 2, 2008 12:10 PM EDT: so country music is getting into politics (again)
how about this from Charlie Daniels

Well the eagle''s been flyin'' slow
And the flag''s been flyin'' low
And a lot of people sayin'' that America''s fixin'' to fall
Well speakin'' just for me
And some people from Tennessee
We''ve got a thing or two to tell you all
This lady may have stumbled
But she aint never fell
And if the Russians don''t believe that
They can all go straight to hell
We''re gonna put her feet back
On the path of righteousness and then
God bless America again

CHORUS
And you never did think
That it ever would happen again
You never did think
That we''d ever get together again
( We da*& sure fooled you )
Yeah, we''re walkng real proud
And we''re talkin'' real loud again ( In America )
You never did think
That it ever would happen again

From The Sound up in Long Island
Out to San Francisco Bay
And everthing that''s in between them is our own
And we may have done a little bit
Of fightin'' amongst ourselves
But you outside people best leave us alone

Obama draws 75000 in Seattle and 200000 in Berlin, and his opposition credits, "opening" bands.
John Rich opens for McCain and the crowd is about 500 people...maybe America is sick of the "Big and Rich"...; Reply to this comment