Obama: Future President or Political Celebrity?

July 30, 2008

By Samantha Hayes

WASHINGTON -- One is a famous pop-star. The other is famous for, well, being famous. Images of both Britney Spears and Paris Hilton are seen in John McCain's latest campaign ad attacking Barack Obama. McCain is acknowledging Obama's worldwide popularity, and using it to question whether his opponent is an able leader. 

The ad shows clips from Obama's recent speech in Berlin before hundreds of thousands of people chanting his name.  Then a voice-over says Obama will not support off shore drilling and will raise taxes.

On one hand, McCain's ad may be trying to convince voters that Obama, while new and popular, is just a passing fad.  But it also may risk turning other voters away from McCain, for mocking his rival's ability to draw large crowds and energize his party.

And some believe the ad might also signal frustration within McCain's campaign. Not unlike Hillary Clinton, McCain is considered to be the experienced candidate. And both he and Clinton struggled to find a way to criticize their younger, amiable rival in way that stuck. The new ad also calls Obama "the biggest celebrity in the world." That may be over doing it, but who knows. Paris Hilton might say, "that's hot."