Paris Hilton mom calls McCain ad 'waste of money'

Source: Agencies  |   2008-8-4  |     ONLINE EDITION

PARIS Hilton's mother -- a John McCain donor -- yesterday dismissed as a "waste of money" a television ad that used her daughter and Britney Spears to portray Democrat Barack Obama as more celebrity icon than chief executive.

Kathy Hilton, the mother of the blond socialite-actress, lambasted the Republican presidential candidate's advertisement in a blog posted on the political Web site Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com).

"It is a complete waste of the money John McCain's contributors have donated to his campaign," Hilton wrote.

"It is a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs. And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next President of the United States," she wrote.

The McCain ad, titled "Celeb," asks viewers: "Is he (Obama) ready to lead?"

Hilton and her husband, a scion of the Hilton hotel chain, donated US$4,600 to McCain's November White House bid.

McCain has portrayed himself as an independent-minded politician with a history of bucking authority and said last week that his rival has shown little more than strong speaking skills.