True, Spartacus, I don't know the Dixie Chicks personally, but I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt before I decide to toss them into the Dumpster. My judgement is based on the fact that when push came to shove (i.e., in the Diane Sawyer interview), in essence, Natalie Maines said "that's what I said, it expresses how I feel, and I'm sticking with it." And the other two ladies supported her. This, despite the fact that they have a lot to lose by taking such a stand. To me, that denotes a certain strength of character--not something that distinguishes our current crop of national leaders.
And no, I don't think you're going to get the last word on this one.