McCain camp says media love Obama

John McCain's campaign, with some acid humor, is directly hitting what many critics see as the media's infatuation with Barack Obama.

Declaring that the media are "in love" with Obama, it announced yesterday it is holding a contest between two video compilations of various media commentators fawning over Obama. Both are set to music, one to Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and the other to his "My Eyes Adored You."

"It's pretty obvious that the media has a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama. Some may even say it's a love affair," the campaign said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the latest advocacy group ad in the presidential campaign also jumps on the press coverage of Obama, plus the growing sense in some quarters that the presumptive Democratic nominee is getting a little presumptuous.

The TV spot by Citizens United shows Obama declaring, "We are the change that we seek," then shows commentators criticizing Obama coverage. Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell says: "It is only when you begin to peel back the layers that you begin to see a disturbing pattern." The ad ends with Obama saying: "We are the ones we've been waiting for."

Also, Republicans are highlighting any perceived hint of Obama arrogance. The Republican National Committee yesterday sent out a report by the Politico website about an exchange between reporters and an Obama adviser about Obama's speech tomorrow in Berlin that is expected to draw thousands.

"It is not going to be a political speech," the adviser said. "When the president of the United States goes and gives a speech, it is not a political speech or a political rally."

"But he is not president of the United States," a reporter replied, according to Politico.

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Ron Paul, the iconoclastic former Republican presidential hopeful, announced yesterday that there has been enough interest in a counter-rally to move it from the smaller Williams Arena to the 18,000-seat Target Center in Minneapolis on Sept. 2, as the GOP holds its convention across the river in St. Paul.

Paul plans "grass roots and leadership training events" Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, leading up to the "Rally for the Republic", featuring speakers that include tax crusader Grover Norquist, former governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico, and Barry Goldwater Jr., a former congressman and son of the conservative icon.

"The Rally for the Republic will send a powerful, positive message to the Republican Party that there is an army of grass-roots activists across the country ready to work with them [to] steer back to their traditions of limited government and personal liberty," spokesman Jesse Benton said in a statement.

Paul, a Texas congressman who opposes the Iraq war and is a Libertarian on economic issues, drew an avid following during the Republican primaries, winning 1.2 million votes and raising nearly $35 million.

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Poking fun at the New Yorker cover that drew widespread criticism of its portrayal of Barack and Michelle Obama, Vanity Fair yesterday posted its version of the now infamous cover .

The New Yorker cover shows Barack Obama in Muslim dress fist-bumping with his wife, Michelle, in the Oval Office, while the American flag burns in the fireplace under a portrait of Osama bin Laden.

Vanity Fair's version shows John McCain, using a walker, fist-bumping with his wife, Cindy, who is clutching prescription drugs, while the Constitution burns in the fireplace with a portrait of President Bush over the mantel.

"We here at Vanity Fair maintain a kind of affectionate rivalry with our downstairs neighbors at The New Yorker," the magazine's editors said, explaining their spoof. "We play softball every year, compete for some of the same stories, and share an elevator bank . . . And heaven knows we've published our share of scandalous images, on the cover and otherwise. So we've been watching the kerfuffle over last week's New Yorker cover with a mixture of empathy and better-you-than-us relief."

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