It started with the Desaparecidos album. We actually recorded that record days after 9/11—that same week. It felt weird—I thought, Is it O.K. to release this anti-American album now? But then I realized that it was the most American thing you can do: dissent and progress. I reconciled that, and then from there it kept coming into Bright Eyes. And I do want my music to be a voice for my convictions and beliefs, but, at the same time, I don’t want to turn my music into a commercial for—even if it’s a good thing—a non-Bush candidate.