Paris bites back at McCain

Paris Hilton, the hotel heiress known for partying, not politics, wants your vote.

She announced her candidacy for president Tuesday in an online video, making her case reclining poolside in a leopard-print bathing suit and gold high heels.

“I want America to know that I’m, like, totally ready to lead,” she said, beaming.

It was a spoof, of course, a response to the ad Republican candidate John McCain launched last week comparing Democratic rival Barack Obama to Hilton and Britney Spears.

“That wrinkly, white- haired guy used me in his campaign ad,” Hilton said, “which I guess means I’m running for president. So thanks for the endorsement, white-haired dude!”

The video, on the comedy website Funny or Die, calls McCain “the oldest celebrity in the world, like super-old, old enough to remember when dancing was a sin and beer was served in a bucket.”

No word on what Hilton’s parents think of her quest. Her mother, who donated to McCain’s campaign, called McCain’s ad “a complete waste of the country’s time and attention.”

Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for the Arizona senator, responded to Hilton’s video with a dig at his candidate’s real rival. “Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan,” he said.

-- Kate Linthicum