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By Jo Best, 12 April 2005 13:00

NEWS US President George Bush is the proud owner of an iPod - and when he's not invading Middle Eastern countries in pursuit of non-existent weapons, Dubya likes to put in his 'earbuds' and relax with a bit of Van the Man.

Bush's favourite song on his iPod is Van Morrison's Brown Eyed-Girl, while the rest of his digital archive reveals a leaning towards country music, with artists including George Jones, The Thrills and Joni Mitchell making it onto the wPod.

Credence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty also features as one of Bush's top of the pops, despite actively campaigning against the US head of state.

Aide Blake Gottesman, who is in charge of filling the 'First iPod' with songs, unveiled the presidential playlist, which shows a marked favouritism for 60s and 70s tunes. Gottesman also revealed that the music player, a gift from Bush's twin daughters, only has 250 songs stored on it - out of the possible 10,000 an iPod's hard drive can hold.

Bush, who uses his iPod while cycling, may soon be able to watch as well as listen to Apple's signature digital music player, if analysts are to be believed.

UBS Investment Research analysts Ben Reitzes and Jeff Brickman are predicting such a device before next year, with an iTunes-alike store for movies to follow before the end of 2006. According to the pair, Jobs and co are watching how consumers react to the Playstation Portable (PSP) before launching onto the market.