Paris, when she bristles

The onslaught of presidential advertising has begun. Both John McCain and Barack Obama will spend millions of dollars on TV and radio spots, and millions more will be spent by "independent" organizations that will slather on the slime and wallow in the muck. But will the most-remembered salvo have been fired by noted politico and Beltway insider Paris Hilton?

Sure, it's strange that in this election cycle that McCain's early advertising strategy involved referring to Obama as "a celebrity, like Paris Hilton," which was the elder Republican's way of calling into question his younger Democratic opponent's ability and readiness to lead. But does Barack Obama count as a celebrity?

Sure, if we're referring to the fact that he draws cheering crowds and the attention of the worldwide media. But was it the best first shot McCain could have taken? Not by a mile.

Yes, Obama is extremely popular (and there's a sizable level of fawning going on in the press, especially internationally -- although that's balanced somewhat by the increasing volume of vitriol from those on the far right) but McCain's overall message in the ad is a rather weak one, never mind the pop culture references. (Also McCain's ad cleverly forgets his own hosting an episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live -- a benchmark for people in the public eye, a/k/a "celebrities".)

But stranger still, I think, is that Paris Hilton, a woman whose entire future income likely depends on remaining in the media spotlight (and not the hotel industry to which she is an heiress), was somehow offended by being referred to with such a dread distinction.

Hilton's occupation is "celebrity," no more, no less. She has spent years cultivating an image as her generation's Zsa Zsa Gabor. She's been in (awful) movies. She's recorded an (awful) album. She is literally paid (an awful lot) to show up on red carpets. But being name-checked in a politician's TV commercial offends her? That's new.

I think her image consultants and P.R. people saw an opportunity to seize camera time, and did it without a second thought -- nothing unusual. Sure, her Internet-broadcast response was intended to mock McCain's ad, and essentially confirms that she gets that she's not presidential material, but there's a bit of prickliness to it. I'd wager that when Paris Hilton bristles at being referred to as "a celebrity," you know it's because the "old dude" said it, and not the cultural guardians at E! News or TMZ.com.

But all of this is sideshow. I don't know Hilton's politics, what she believes, what she stands for -- if anything. (Wait, maybe she is qualified to be president.) And moreover, I don't really care. What I do know is that there are more important issues in this campaign than which senator's attracting the most flash bulbs: you know, boring stuff like the economy, the environment, the war, and so on.

I'm just looking for someone to take the reins, cut through the speeches and platitudes, and make an honest-to-goodness difference in the world through simple leadership. And if that person happens to be "a celebrity," does it really matter?

I think even Paris Hilton would agree with that.