Barack Obama was off his game during last night’s debate with Hillary Clinton. The Illinois Senator took a beating from Clinton as she hammered him for ties with Rev. Wright and the Weather Underground. Barack looked a little distracted as he was whacked as an America-hating terrorist. Talk about the "kitchen sink."

Obama deserves a pass. He probably was dreaming about his Inauguration Day, capped by a performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. That’s right. Springsteen, who did his best for John Kerry, has officially endorsed Obama. Hillary has Elton John in her corner, but Obama has “The Boss.” That is no contest.

Obama, according to working class hero Springsteen, is “head and shoulders above the rest.” On his website, Springsteen has this to say of Obama:
“He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where “...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.”

Loss of the Boss’ nod is a tough blow to Clinton, who is trying to lock up the blue-collar vote. Those are the people Springsteen writes about. She has been using Springsteen’s “The Rising” at campaign events. That song had been used by John Edwards to firm up his populist pitch. Team Clinton snatched that song after Edwards dropped out of the race. It will be a little awkward for Clinton to continue to use the music of the man who is backing her opponent.

One hopes she doesn’t follow the lead of Ronald Reagan, who infamously used Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” for his campaign. Remember how Bill Clinton scorched Barack when he had good words for Reagan.

More from Springsteen’s endorsement:
“After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans. Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President.”

Tough luck, Hillary. Team Clinton should scour Elton’s songbook to come up with some rockin’ music that fits her campaign.

“I’m Still Standing” is an obvious choice. Mark Penn and the gang should think twice before selecting “The Bitch is Back.”