This is a protest song aimed at 2000-2008 US President George W. Bush. The band and frontman Conor Oberst have made it known that they don't approve of President Bush, his policies, or the war in Iraq. The title is a reference to the former president's claim that when he prayed, he and God shared direct, back-and-forth communication.
Bright Eyes performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in May 2005, several months after Bush's reelection.
This song was released separately from Bright Eyes' 2005 studio releases (I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash In A Digital Urn). It was released on iTunes and on 7" vinyl around the same time as the 2005 double release. A live version of the song was released on Bright Eyes' 2005 live album Motion Sickness, released on Oberst's "Team Love" label.
"When the President Talks to God" appears on the soundtrack Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran, accompanying the film Body of War. The song is representative of young Americans' frustration with a government they felt did not represent them.
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