By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY

Paris for president?

That’s the spoofy gist of a video starring Paris Hilton that’s taken off on Will Ferrell’s comedy site, FunnyorDie.com. The short is pushing 4 million views since Tuesday.

“Paris totally got the joke,” says Adam McKay, Funny or Die co-founder and film director (Step Brothers), who conceived and wrote the Hilton spot. “I thought it was ludicrous that (John) McCain was trying to bring Barack Obama down just because he was popular. If (McCain) is going to step into the pop world, we’ll respond.”

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee played the celebrity card in a recent campaign ad that transitioned from images of Hilton and Britney Spears to those of the presumptive Democratic nominee. Obama is popular, the spot observes, “but is he ready to lead?”

Hilton agreed to do the video rebuttal within hours of hearing the director’s pitch. It was filmed Sunday on Long Island. Lounging in a skimpy swimsuit and high heels, Hilton says she is, “like, totally ready to lead.” She lays out her energy plan — a blend of both candidates’ proposals — but only after leafing through a travel magazine to find the best places in the world to get a tan.

McKay’s political sentiments are laid bare in a voice-over: “He’s the oldest celebrity in the world … but is he ready to lead?”

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds says the candidate thinks the video is “hilarious,” adding that “Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan.”

Hilton is on vacation in Denmark. But the family’s sentiments are voiced in a posting by matriarch Kathy on Huffingtonpost.com: McCain’s ad is “a complete waste of the country’s time … when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs.”

Contributing: David Jackson

[source:usatoday]