Barack Obama on McCain Camp’s Britney-Paris Ad Tactics: ‘Is That The Best You Can Do?’

By: Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) Three months before Election Day, John McCain's stepped up aggression begs the question: Will voters vote for the scold?

A new ad launched Wednesday suggests Democratic rival Barack Obama is nothing more than a lightweight celebrity akin to a Britney Spears or a Paris Hilton. A previous ad took issue with Obama's canceled visit to injured troops. McCain has suggested Obama would rather lose a war than an election and ridicules him for the "audacity of hopelessness" in his Iraq policies.

"He's the biggest celebrity in the world," his latest ad asks. "But, is he ready to lead?"

Some Republicans welcomed McCain's confrontational strategy. New Hampshire GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen said Republicans in his state "like to see the McCain campaign on offense."

But in striking an aggressive pose, McCain is in danger of letting the caricature of an angry, petulant candidate take seed -- not so much because he is one, but because it stands in stark contrast to Obama's carefully cultivated, well, celebrity, and McCain's own promises to run a respectful campaign.

"The campaign is making him seem angrier than he is and therefore it's a disservice to him," said John Weaver, McCain's former senior strategist, who left the campaign in a shake-up last year.

Barack Obama on McCain Camp’s Britney-Paris Ad Tactics:....

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Britney Spears Has Visitation Rights Suspended

TMZ is reporting BRITNEY SPEARS has had her visitation rights with her kids suspended until she complies with all court orders. The order by L.A. County Commissioner SCOTT GORDON came after K-FED's lawyer, MARK VINCENT KAPLAN, went to court yesterday for an emergency hearing.

The order reads, "Petitioner's (BRITNEY's) visitation with the minor children is suspended pending Petitioner's compliance with the court orders."

SPEARS' next shot at getting her children back is OCTOBER 26th, when she's been ordered back to court. The order says, "The parenting coach is to submit a report to the court and counsel prior to OCTOBER 26, 2007."

BRITNEY SPEARS - GIMME MORE (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

SPEARS GETS VISITATION, BUT NOT CUSTODY

A court commissioner ruled WEDNESDAY that BRITNEY SPEARS can have visits with her two sons but did not reverse an order giving temporary custody to KEVIN FEDERLINE, the pop star's ex-husband, his attorney said.

Superior Court Commissioner SCOTT M. GORDON was expected to issue an order detailing the visitation rights, attorney MARK VINCENT KAPLAN said. The order was not released by the time court closed for the day.

FEDERLINE attended the hearing but SPEARS did not. Her attorney, SORRELL TROPE, did not speak to reporters.

Court spokesman ALLAN PARACHINI indicated SPEARS would be allowed monitored visits every other day.

FEDERLINE, 29, and SPEARS, 25, were ordered back to court OCT. 26 for another hearing.

HEARING SCHEDULED TODAY IN BRITNEY SPEARS CUSTODY PROCEEDINGS

A hearing is scheduled today for more custody proceedings between BRITNEY SPEARS and KEVIN FEDERLINE. K-FED is now K-Dad full-time after a judge ordered SPEARS to temporarily surrender custody of the couple's sons -- SEAN PRESTON, 2, and JAYDEN JAMES, 1 -- to FEDERLINE.

The one-time rapper's custodial gains may have more to do with SPEARS' decline than his own parenting skills. SPEARS failed to produce a CALIFORNIA driver's license and allegedly missed a drug and alcohol test as ordered by the court, her lawyer, SORRELL TROPE, said TUESDAY

SPEARS LOSES CUSTODY OF CHILDREN TO EX-SPOUSE

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Britney Spears' troubled personal life upstaged her bid for a career comeback on Monday as a judge ordered the pop star's ex-husband to take sole custody of their two children later this week.

No reason for the decision was contained in the court order that was made public. Representatives for Spears and her former spouse, Kevin Federline, a dancer and aspiring rap performer, were not immediately available for comment.

The same judge, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon, ordered Spears two weeks ago to undergo random drug testing and to hire a parenting coach after finding evidence of "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol" by her.

His latest order stated that Federline "is to retain physical custody of the minor children on Wednesday ... at 12 p.m., until further order of the court." Gordon also set another hearing in the matter for Wednesday.

The ruling came as Spears, whose recording career had been on hold since she married Federline three years ago, was returning to the pop charts with her new single "Gimme More."

Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, divorced in July but have remained embroiled in a bitter battle over custody of their two sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.

Before this week, they had shared 50/50 custody of the boys, but Federline's lawyer, Mark Kaplan, told reporters in August that his client was seeking greater control of his sons to keep them "isolated from risks."

Adding to Spears' legal woes, the singer was charged on September 21 with leaving the scene of an accident after police said she ran into a parked car last month. She also was charged with driving without a valid license. Published photos and TV footage taken in recent days have shown Spears driving with her two sons in her car.

Since filing for divorce last November, Spears has made headlines with a steady stream of erratic behavior -- shaving her head before entering rehab, firing various staff and stripping down to her underwear for an impromptu ocean swim in front of photographers, among other incidents.

Earlier this month, her highly anticipated comeback appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards was widely panned as an embarrassing flop, though "Gimme More" has been climbing the radio charts.

Since Thursday, the song, a single from her upcoming untitled album, has ranked as the most downloaded track on Apple Computer's iTunes online music store.

The song appears poised to break onto Billboard magazine's Hot 100 singles chart later this week with what could be Spears' highest ranking since her debut 1999 hit "... Baby One More Time."