In a desperate bid to smear Barack Obama for having legions of fans, John McCain's new campaign ad compares the Democratic presidential nominee to vapid starlets Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Put aside for a minute the obvious hypocrisy of criticizing Obama for his celebrity when McCain himself has been known to seek out the spotlight in such down-to-earth locales as Saturday Night Live, the Hollywood comedy Wedding Crashers and the neoconservative spy show 24. Try also to momentarily move beyond the obvious lack of substance to the ad's attacks, their total disconnect from the daily struggles Americans face at a time when they are losing their homes, struggling within a broken health-care system and footing the bill for intractable military occupations abroad. Instead, confront the sobering thought that one of the lovely ladies held up for public ridicule in McCain's ad happens to be the daughter of one of his most prominent campaign contributors. On the basis of this cringe-worthy consideration alone, John Stewart bolsters the mock-maverick's pop culture pedigree by gracing him with The Daily Show's award for "Dick of the Week".

-Will Di Novi

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