Dixie Chick Stirs War Pot Again

Dixie Chicks' singer Natalie Maines, whose criticism of President Bush last spring led to boycotts of the group's music, said Friday that Americans were "misled" about the war in Iraq.

"I think people were misled, and I think people are fighting a war that they didn't know they were going to be fighting," Maines said in a broadcast interview. "And I think they were misled by people who should have been asking questions and weren't."

Maines upset many country fans last March when she told a London audience shortly before the Iraq war that the group was "ashamed" President Bush is from her home state of Texas.

She apologized for the phrasing of her remark, but some radio stations banned the group's singles.

Maines said Friday on NBC's Today Show that she was "saddened" by the war. Asked whether she felt vindicated by how the war has unfolded, she said, "No ... I would have liked to have been proven wrong."

The Dixie Chicks also expressed disappointment in President Bush's remarks about Maines' overseas comments. The president said of the group, "They can say what they want to say. ... they shouldn't have their feelings hurt just because some people don't want to buy their records when they speak out. I mean ... you know, freedom is a two-way street."

Emily Robison said Mr. Bush "wasn't standing up for the principles that our country are founded on."

Martie Maguire said he basically was saying, "You got what you deserved" and "This is what's going to happen if you keep speaking out."

The Chicks' recent concert tour was one of the year's most successful, but Maines said most tickets were sold before her remarks about Mr. Bush. She said it is still too early to tell what the long-term fallout will be.

The Dixie Chicks released a live CD and DVD of the tour Friday.

The group received death threats in the wake of Maines' comments, and Maguire said the Chicks almost canceled one particular concert because the threats were so specific. But Maines said canceling would have been caving in to the negative.

The group also said they have no regrets about what's happened. Maines said she would speak out again given a similar situation.

"I would still say something, and I would still say something against the war and against everything that was going on," Maines said. "But it would have been very intelligent and well thought out."

As for the backlash from fans, she said, "We like making music and we'll continue to do that whether people buy it or not."