Opinion: Paris Hilton, Britney Spears bounce through McCain ad on glam Obama

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All right, now we’re getting somewhere.

In the middle of the summer presidential doldrums just when the meaningless premature polls are jumping all over the place and we’re all confronted with possibly having to think about Social Security policies, along comes the John McCain campaign with a refreshing breeze.

It’s just issued a new ad called ‘Celebs’ and it’s designed to link what’s-his-name the global god on the other side with that vacuous Hollywood crowd that comes out at night to do strange things for the papparazzi.

Hey, if you’re not glamorous, make fun of those who are.

McCain’s new ad actually contains Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. It’s just a cameo role for both (and doesn’t mention P.H.’s new line of shoes just unveiled). But it’s a whole lot better in July than two professional pols jawing.

‘He’s the biggest celebrity in the world,’ says the ad, showing adoring throngs of Germans who can’t vote in the U.S. ‘But is he ready to lead?’

Sure, there’s plenty of political stuff in there about Obama opposing offshore drilling to counter dependence on foreign oil and allegedly in favor of higher taxes on electricity.

‘Higher taxes, more foreign oil, that’s the real Obama.’ And you’ll never guess who approved that message.

In a separate e-mail message to supporters, Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, adds an underline: ‘As you and I know, simply attracting large crowds of fans with empty rhetoric doesn’t prepare a person to lead a country. The more we get to know the real Barack Obama, the more he shows that he is not ready to lead our country.’

(But, oops, hat tip to TMZ.com confirmed by The Times’ Dan Morain, you better be careful who you make fun of. Paris’ Mommy and Daddy, Richard and Kathleen Hilton, have each given $2,300 to the McCain campaign.)

Now, we’ll wait for Obama to counter with a John Mellencamp song. No, wait, that was John Edwards. How about Joan Baez singing songs from the 60s that McCain didn’t hear because he was in prison at the time?

Oh, wait again. As our pal Susan points out over at WakeUpAmerica, the rapper Ludacris has already done a pro-Obama song that urges blacks to ‘get off their ass’ and vote for Obama and adds about Obama’s former Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton:

‘Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant.’

An Obama spokesman called the lyrics ‘outrageously offensive.’

(UPDATE: Late Wednesday the Obama campaign released a counter ad, charging the Arizona senator with taking the ‘low road’ and ‘practicing the politics of the past.’ A McCain spokesman responded, ‘Pointing out your opponent’s worldwide celebrity is not the ‘low road,’ and neither is pointing out that he opposes oil drilling and supports higher taxes.”)

--Andrew Malcolm