McCain "Britney and Paris" attack ad shows how out of touch he really is
Holly Shelves
July 30, 2008

John McCain’s campaign released a new attack ad today against Barack Obama. It doesn’t attack his voting record or any policy position—instead, it paints him as being akin to the world’s two biggest stars… Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

Wait. Spears and Hilton? They’re the world’s two biggest stars?

According to the McCain campaign they are, with the exception of the  biggest star, Barack Obama. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis had this comment today in defense of the ad: “What we decided to do is find the top three international celebrities in the world, and I would say from our indications, Britney and Paris came in second and third.” Comparing Obama with the two celebrities is like comparing “apples to apples,” Davis said.

This ad shows how out of touch, confused, and (yes, I’ll say it) old John McCain really is. I could definitely see my grandmother positing Britney and Paris as the world’s biggest stars. But in her defense, my grandmother might at least be hip enough to name Lindsey or Bono. Sure, Britney and Paris are famous… among eleven-year-old girls. But they are no means the world’s second and third biggest stars. And they are not in the same category as Barack Obama, love him or hate him.

Note: McCain also never misses an episode of “The Hills.”