Obama behaving like celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton: McCain

Washington, July 31 : Presumptive Republic presidential nominee John McCain has defined his Democratic Party rival Barack Obama as man who likens himself to celebrities like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

McCain has aggressively labelled Obama as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared for the presidency.

According to the New York Times, the Republicans are trying to portray Obama as a candidate who believes that the presidential race is all about him.

The Republican National Committee has begun an anti-Obama Web site called "Audacity Watch," a play on the title of Mr. Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope." And, in a concerted volley of television interviews, news releases and e-mail, campaign representatives have attacked him on a wide range of issues, including tax policies and energy proposals.

The moves are the McCain campaign's most full-throttled effort to define Obama negatively, says the paper.

Obama has been under an intense public spotlight for the last year, but polls indicate that for all the enthusiasm that he has generated among his supporters, many voters still have questions about him, providing Republicans with an opening to shape his image in critical groups like white working-class voters between now and Election Day.

The run of attacks against Obama over the last couple of weeks have been strikingly reminiscent of that drive, including the Bush team's tactics of seeking to make campaigns referendums on its opponents - not a choice between two candidates - and attacking the opponent's perceived strengths head-on.

Central to the latest McCain drive is an attempt to use against Obama the huge crowds and excitement he has drawn, including on his foreign trip last week, by promoting a view of him as more interested in attention and adulation than in solving the problems facing American families.

McCain's more focused assault comes after one of his worst weeks of the general election campaign, when he seemed to fumble for a consistent, overarching critique of Obama, who winged around the Middle East and Europe.

McCain has frequently spoken about the need for civility in politics. sked by reporters about McCain's new advertisement, Obama said: "I do notice that he doesn't seem to have anything to say very positive about himself."

ANI