McCain Hits Pay Dirt. AP: “McCain’s ‘Celebrity’ Taunts Are Bugging Obama”
Looks like Johnny Mac is warmed up now and throwing some heat. He tweaks Obama’s precious self-esteem and there’s Barry, sitting on the floor, feet out in front, with tears streaming down his face.
In a presidential campaign freighted with war, recession and energy woes, a jibe featuring Paris Hilton, of all things, seems to have struck a nerve in Democrat Barack Obama. For the second time in two weeks, he aired a TV ad Monday rebutting Republican John McCain’s claim that Obama is little more than a celebrity, like the blonde hotel heiress.
The first time, Obama dismissed the assertion as “baloney.” On Monday, Obama took a different tack with a commercial that says McCain, not he, is “Washington’s biggest celebrity.”
The back-and-forth may seem as frothy as a boardwalk milkshake in mid-August. But it suggests McCain is making some headway in trying to fight the campaign on his terms. [snip]
Even some Republican strategists questioned whether the strategy was smart or dignified. And Hilton herself produced a video poking fun at McCain that drew large Internet viewership. But Obama’s latest ad suggests the “celebrity” taunt has some sting, and efforts to dismiss it as silly have not been effective.