The state of Colorado, whose 9 electoral votes may hold the key to the presidency, got a November surprise last night courtesy of Hank Williams, Jr., who rode his dead father's coattails all the way to a Sarah Palin rally last night.

And there, he broke the news that the liberal mainstream media was too French to report: Barack Obama hates the National Anthem…

Singer Hank Williams, Jr., who has become a regular warm-up act on the campaign trail for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, said that Sen. Barack Obama is "not real crazy about" the national anthem before singing the Star-Spangled Banner at a rally in Colorado Springs, CO this evening.

"You know, I’m usually at Monday Night Football tonight, but Colorado, this is a lot more important tonight," Williams said at an airport hangar rally in Colorado Springs. "Join me now in our national — you know, that song that, uh, Mr. Obama’s not real crazy about, we’re singing it right now."

Apparently Williams received the right-wing chain e-mail that claims Obama wants to replace our current Anthem with "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing."  (Whereas John McCain has reached out to the Williams base by proposing it be changed to "Are You Ready For Some Football?")

Unfortunately for Williams, he may have dropped the bomb a few weeks too late.  Colorado allows early voting and, given its extreme popularity in the state, many residents cast their ballots long, long ago.

Not as long ago as the last Hank Williams, Jr. hit, mind you, but long ago nonetheless.

If you know anything about country music (yes, I'm looking at you, Senator Byrd), you know that Hank Williams, Sr. is one of the seminal figures of the entire genre, while his son Hank, Jr. is a hack and a disgrace. (The Monday Night football song notwithstanding.)

Now Hank Jr. has taken one step further in his career-long mangling of the family legacy. He's transformed one of his few decent songs into partisan bluster for John McCain…

[Hank Williams, Jr.] has made a foray into politics, penning new lyrics to a song he wrote called "Family Tradition" In the original tune, he linked himself to his dad's drinking and drug-abuse demons. The new version — a paean to John McCain and Sarah Palin — takes a decidedly different tack, as evident from its opening lines:

The left-wing liberal media have
Always been a real close knit family.
But most of the American People
Don't believe 'em anyway, ya see.

Williams is setting a dangerous precedent by adapting old country songs to fit the current political climate. Consider the potential 21st century subjects for the following classic tunes…

* "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" (by Willie Nelson) — George W. Bush

* "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" (by Merle Haggard) — Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)

* "I Walk The Line" (by Johnny Cash) — Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY)

* "Your Cheatin' Heart" (by Hank's own father!) — John McCain

* "The Weight" (by the Band) — Mike Huckabee