Paris tells McCain attack ad is not so hot

2008-8-7  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

ATTENTION, America: Paris has spoken.

Paris Hilton, the blonde, doe-eyed celebrity thrust into the presidential campaign in an ad by Republican candidate John McCain, has issued a tart rebuttal, albeit in a scantily clad, tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

McCain launched an ad last week comparing Democratic rival Barack Obama to Hilton and Britney Spears, suggesting Obama was no more than a celebrity candidate unready to lead the nation.

Hilton initially shied away from the debate over the ad and its effectiveness.

But she responded on Tuesday with a spoof on the comedy Website Funny or Die.

"Hey America, I'm Paris Hilton and I'm a celebrity, too. Only I'm not from the olden days and I'm not promising change like that other guy. I'm just hot," Hilton said, speaking as she reclined in a pool chair in a revealing bathing suit and a pair of pumps. "But then that wrinkly, white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for president. So thanks for the endorsement white-haired dude.

"I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead," she said.

She then discusses energy policy, and suggests a hybrid of McCain's offshore oil drilling plan and Obama's incentives for new energy technology. "Energy crisis solved! I'll see you at the debates," she said.

McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds said Hilton appeared to support his candidate's "all of the above" energy solution. "Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan," Bounds said.

Hilton's mother, who with her husband donated US$4,600 to McCain's campaign earlier in the year, has said McCain's ad was "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."