Obama Airs TV Ad Calling McCain's Script "Baloney"

July 31, 2008 9:51 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) launched a new TV ad Wednesday night in response to Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) controversial ad likening the Democratic presidential hopeful to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

Obama's 30-second spot titled "Low Road," quotes several media outlets' assessment of McCain's TV ad, launched earlier in the day, which called Obama "the biggest celebrity in the world."

"He's practicing the politics of the past. John McCain," an announcer says in Obama's ad. "His attacks on Barack Obama: not true, false, baloney, the low road, baseless. John McCain. Same old politics. Same failed policies."

"Barack Obama supports a $1,000 middle class tax cut. An energy plan that takes on oil companies, develops alternative fuels, and breaks the grip of foreign oil. That's change we can believe in," the announcer concludes.

FactCheck.org said on Monday that McCain's depiction of Obama as a "celebrity" was "false." USA Today also described the attack as "baloney," while the New York Times said in a story that conservatives are concerned with McCain's taking the "low road" in the campaign.

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis defended their ad titled "Celeb" during a press conference Wednesday. He said they were merely responding to previous negative ads from Obama. "Over the course of the last two or three weeks, the Obama campaign began airing an ad against John McCain about two weeks ago attacking some of his positions," he said.

Davis added that they were addressing "a unique fact" in the Obama campaign, "a campaign that is focused on the development of an enormous image of celebrity status."

The McCain campaign said a written statement, "Pointing out your opponent's worldwide celebrity is not the 'low road,' and neither is pointing out that he opposes oil drilling and supports higher taxes," according to Time.

It also sent out an email to supporters quoting political commentator Stuart Rothenberg on ABC saying, "Nobody's going to confuse Paris Hilton with Senator Barack Obama. But over time, the attempt to raise questions about his substance, that could very well work."