Springsteen 'backs' war on terror

Springsteen is a well-known liberal

Bruce Springsteen has reportedly praised the way US President George W Bush handled the "war on terror" after the 11 September attacks.

The veteran rock legend said he had been surprised by the approach to action against the Taleban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan after the World Trade Center attacks.

I expected a lot less from this administration

Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen made the comments as his album of 11 September-inspired songs was released.

The 52-year-old star is well known for supporting liberal causes and his anger at the hijacking of his Vietnam-themed song, Born in the USA, by right-wingers.

But he told The Times: "The war in Afghanistan was handled well.

"It was deliberative, which I wasn't counting on. I expected a lot less from this administration."

Springsteen took a leading role among celebrities in showing his support for the victims of 11 September, leading the tributes at a celebrity telethon and appearing at benefit gigs since.

The star said he was at his home in Monmouth County, New Jersey, when the first hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center but he initially thought it was an accident.

Church visit

"I tried to figure that out and went to the television just before the second plane hit.

"I was just like everybody, watching the television, a lot of us together. Nobody wanting to be alone, waiting to see what was going to happen."

The singer went with his family to church after the attacks and said it gave his children a chance to reflect on what had happened.

Springsteen:"War in Afghanistan was handled well"

The experience also inspired him to begin writing songs about the event.

Almost all the tracks on the new album, The Rising, which is out on Monday, were written within a few days.

One of the central images of the new release is of the firefighters who died when the twin towers collapsed while they were climbing upstairs towards the fire.

Springsteen described how he tried to imagine himself in their position.

He said: "The disorientation on that staircase, the load on your back, the heaviness of the equipment, the sense of duty, of responsibility... what would you be thinking about?"