It WAS a brilliant career choice (although I don't think that's what motivated her). They got tons of ink - magazine covers, interviews, etc. Yeah, there was a crazy or two who sent a threatening letter, but hey, that's nothing compared to the publicity they garnered.
I do admit that I think there was a bit of an overreaction. It's not as if she was pulling a Jane Fonda, hopping on anti-aircraft weapons pointed at American soldiers (although to be fair Jane Fonda has apologized for that massive blunder)! I think most of the anger came not from the fact that she spoke her mind - tons of musicians diss Bush - but that she was doing it in order to get cheers from a foreign crowd. That kind of thing leaves a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths.
