Toby Keith photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.
Dec. 3, 2008 — When Toby Keith weighed in on this year’s presidential election, some people interpreted that the lifelong Democrat, noted for his first-term support of Republican George W. Bush, was a Barack Obama supporter. By the time it was all over, Toby said the Democrats had lost him and switched his affiliation to Independent.
Nevertheless, as President-Elect Obama announces his cabinet choices, one particular selection gives Obama a distinct connection to Toby. Toby wrote "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)" in the aftermath of 9/11, and he sang the song at the Pentagon for a group of Marines that were headed off to Afghanistan to fight. According to Country Aircheck, General James Jones heard the song that day and told Toby he ought to record it and get it released, and Toby went back into the studio in enough time to slip it onto his Unleashed album and make it the first single.
General Jones has since retired, but Obama has named him National Security Adviser in the new administration.