Too Far?

By William Rabbe on 07/30/2008

By William Rabbe

OMG! The new John McCain ad features Barack Obama amongst celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton!

That's hot.

But by tapping into popular resentment of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, is McCain's camp grabbing at straws or could this approach be effective (albeit still slightly ridiculous)?

Probably both. As the underdog, John McCain can afford some flexibility in shifting tactics -- he's trying nearly every approach to find out what works and what doesn't before the critical post-convention stretch. In this case, he's making a play for free publicity by cooking up a controversial ad that will be much talked about by the pundits. Obvi!

But also, he may be fortifying the doubts amongst some Americans that Barack Obama is less an effective leader as much as a rock-star-esque self-promoter. Or a celebutante.

But wait! Isn't this coming from the same candidate who gladly touted his endorsement from The Hill's star, Heidi Montag?