Madonna backs Obama, literally

NEW YORK - Agence France-Presse

Hürriyet Photo

Provocative pop star Madonna revealed more than skin when she pulled off her top at her New York concert Thursday -- showing off black letters on her lower back spelling "OBAMA."

"Tonight I'm not going to show my ass," she said, according to US media."I'm going to show my feelings. How's that for living dangerously?"

Photos of the singer -- standing with her back to the 40,000-strong Yankee Stadium crowd in a black bra with the letters painted below -- were immediately tweeted by concertgoers.Right around then, in a different arena in North Carolina, President Barack Obama was officially accepting his nomination and launching his re-election bid at the Democratic National Convention.

The Queen of Pop also talked about the "scary things" she's seen during this concert tour, referring to incidents like when Russian punk group Pussy Riot was jailed for a political stunt at a concert.

These incidents "have made me realize how lucky I am to be living here in America," the singer said, adding to loud cheers "thank God for Michelle Obama and her good-looking husband too."

Madonna's Obama endorsement was not the first time the singer has mixed music and politics during this concert tour.

In Zurich, she said she was "devastated and disgusted" by the two-year jail sentence Pussy Riot band members received for their anti-Putin stunt at a church.

At a concert in Saint Petersburg, Madonna painted a different message on her back -- "No Fear!" -- as she called on her fans to show "love and appreciation for the gay community."

And during the first concert of the world tour, in Tel Aviv on May 31, a photo of right-wing National Front leader Marine Le Pen appeared in a video, with the image of a swastika flashing on her forehead.