Barack gets the backing of the Boss

It's all over for Hillary. Bruce Springsteen - aka 'The Boss' - has endorsed Barack Obama for president, claiming that "he speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years". In a letter addressed to friends and fans posted on his website, 58-year-old Springsteen says: "Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.”

'The Boss' is known for his lyrics about the struggles of working-class Americans, particularly in the economically ravaged factory towns of the Northeast. And this could prove useful. Last week, Springsteen tried to explain to an audience in San Francisco Obama's controversial comments about "bitter" people clinging to "guns and religion", remarks that have seriously damaged his campaign.

Springsteen said: "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."