Between his time in Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a solo artist, John Fogerty has never been shy about voicing his political opinions. During a chat about his latest album, 'The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again,' Spinner broke the news of President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize win to Fogerty, who had been listening to 'Hannah Montana' instead of the morning news while driving his kids to school that morning. The rock legend responded by simply saying, "Wow. That's fantastic. That's totally cool."

The self-described liberal says that he doesn't understand the much-discussed controversy over Obama's win. "I'm an American. When your president is receiving a Nobel Prize, particularly a Nobel Peace Prize at any time in history, that's an amazing and wonderful thing," he says. "I think what that really is representing is a feeling of hopefulness. We're taking a deep breath and feeling like Americans again, at least a good portion of us. The future looks so hopeful."

Though 'Rides Again' is a more lighthearted collection of country and rock covers, Fogerty's previous album, 2007's 'Revival,' contained several pointed criticisms about President George W. Bush and his administration, one Fogerty is happy to see gone. "I grew up I in a time when we were very, very proud to be Americans and we had people who seemed to be statesmen," he says. "Certainly the president seemed smarter than me in those days. I said that with obvious cynicism. I think we've arrived there again but we've arrived there after a long dark period of times when I've been literally ashamed of my country and ashamed of my government."

While Fogerty is happy that Bush is out of office, he knows that things aren't perfect just yet. "I feel very hopeful and even proud of the vision and the hope that we enjoy right now," he says. "I realize we're in tough economic times but Americans have always gotten together and figured it out, which is also something that makes you proud."

"This award is an affirmation of the hopefulness that is emanating from the Obama administration and really from Barack Obama himself," he adds. "I'm sorry to say that the world we find ourselves in politically is so full of people shouting at each other across the center. There's so much actual hate talk. I'm sorry about that, but I choose not let my heart feel that way."