Other artists not afraid to voice their opinions on the Iraq War spoke of the support they had received from Springsteen in an interview last week with Germany's Spiegel magazine, Dixie Chick Martie Maguire was quoted as saying that the band members 'don't feel part of the country scene any longer' and claimed that country radio continues to boycott the Chicks' music and country awards have virtually ignored the band of late following all the furore in Nashville over lead singer Natalie Maines comments before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq stating that she was "truly ashamed" President Bush like the Chicks, hailed from Texas.

The band however felt that there were various misquotes in the interview, in response Maines has posted a highly sarcastic open letter on the Texas trio's Website addressing this latest controversy.

Maines has obviously not backed down on her Iraq stance, mockingly referring to the inability of U.S. investigators to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. She also takes a pop at 'The Terminator's' political aspirations saying that Arnold Schwarzenegger called to ask them to "verk out" with him at "zee gym"--an offer she and her mates found "weird and scary."

Back at their day-jobs the Chicks are terminating their Top of the World tour on October 4 in Sydney, before playing two charity gigs in the U.S. --a Save the Earth benefit in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 10 followed two days later by a concert in Washington, D.C., co-headlined by the Eagles to raise money for the Recording Artists Coalition.