Millions may see political ads bashing or supporting McCain, Clinton, or Obama, but that's only because they're in between regularly scheduled programming. It takes a special breed of political footage to get people to choose to watch it, and it doesn't even need to be forceful, immediate, or full of relevant information. As the Obama Girl proved, it might be enough just to have scantily clad women. And just when it seemed as though bikinis and flesh had the political viral video market cornered, 236.com came into the fray with its stable of comedy writers from Conan, Comedy Central, and Adult Swim. Within days of hitting the web, videos like Barack Obama-sistible and The McCain Girls went viral and humor started to give breasts a run for their money. In this Starpulse Q and A, Patrick Borelli, co-creator of the McCain Girls, fills us in on just what's going on at 236.com.

What do you hope to accomplish with The McCain Girls?
236.com wanted to parody the spate of politically themed music videos that have been so prevalent in the past six months. The McCain Girls arose because of that meta desire, to make fun of something that's already a joke. Brian Spinks, the director of video content for 236.com, asked Jon Benjamin and Jon Glaser if they'd take that on. I'm good friends with both and was talking to Benjamin about it and he said he was going to do a music video about McCain and we started joking around, as comedians do and that was the birth of the McCain Girls. Glaser came up with a fake band called Detrioit Octane incredibly funny videos about Obama, Huckabee and Clinton. They're on 236.com and Youtube.

"The I Got a Crush... on Obama" video reportedly upset the daughters of the Illinois Senator, with Barack being quoted in the Associated Press as saying, "You do wish people would think about what impact their actions have on kids and families." How did it make you feel?
Obama is right to be upset. I'd be upset if my wife were running for office and some 20-year old shirtless male model sang a song about wanting to get with my wife. I really see the McCain Girls as different. They're not wearing bikini tops and acting like they want to sleep with McCain. They just come off as three women who love to take 80s songs and rewrite them to support their favorite septuagenarian candidate. They're much more modest than Obama Girl, which is not to say that they are better, just that they wear more clothing.

The creators of the "I Got a Crush…On Obama" video sold 2 shirts and the red shorts that were worn in the video on E-Bay, with one of the shirts getting a thousand dollars. Have you and the McCain Girls thought of auctioning anything off?
We could auction off Barbara's cyan smurf outfit that she wore in Raining McCain. She was fading in and out of the green screen and a lot of people on Youtube commented on that. I'll see if she wants to sell it.

Both your video and the Obama Girl got significant media coverage. Seems like the media has a real good handle on what's happening in terms of Youtube videos, but how would you rate their coverage of the campaign and politics in general?
Unfortunately, as ABC sadly showed with the recent Obama/Clinton Pennsylvania debate, the media tend to get hung up on issues that are less substantial, to put it kindly. You really have to separate these Youtube political music videos from how a network covers candidates in general. The McCain Girls and Obama Girl are, essentially, comic relief.

I feel like a majority of the media tends to focus on issues that are more symbolically or emotionally charged, like, Why doesn't Obama wear an American Flag? Or Why do you have a racist pastor? Or Why did you lie about coming under fire on your trip to Bosnia? They do this because this information is personal and gossipy. Everyone loves to gossip and talk shit about people. When you meet up with friends at a bar, what you usually do is talk about whoever is not there. And most gossip is negative. 'Did you hear that she slept with so and so?' Or, 'I had no idea that his brother murdered his parents when he was 10.' People love finding out about the flaws of others and then sharing that information (that's the title of my nonexistent memoir: The Flaws of Others). And that's not unique to political coverage. It's really yellow journalism and that was invented here in New York, by two clashing dailies. And today, thank god, we still have that practice. Thanks New York.

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are interesting in that they manage to provide comic relief while also being great resources for information while making fun of shitty reporters and reactionary, inflammatory news networks.

Politics and music have a long history together, with many protest songs of the past becoming staples of radio stations of the present. What do you think of the modern state of protest in America?
Sadly, it's pretty tame. The Bush administration really has been a nightmare. And yet, how many people hit the streets to protest the Iraq war? I wasn't fully sentient during Vietnam but it seems like protests were much more virulent and had a bigger impact. It seems like more people cared and made a point of showing their disgust. Whereas today, with each passing anniversary of the Iraq war, the protests seem to be more timid, smaller and marginalized. Part of it might be that America really has matured in the past thirty years, in a way, that seems to encourage placation and comfort. People are so entertained today, at every turn, whether it's with an ipod on the way to work or with Tivo at home or with the Internet that we are really just focused on entertaining ourselves. I rarely have a waking hour that goes by where I'm not on the Internet, or watching TV or some movie. It's very easy to be distracted today and that can really lead to indifference or a feeling like, 'Well, I've got so much to do at work and at home that I don't have time to go and protest a war.' I know I feel like that and I'm sure most other Americans do and it's a shame.

Moveon.org is great. They're able to contact millions of people and mobilize them via petitions and meet ups. They can generate millions via donations and have the power to run ads that really reflect how they feel about a certain issue. They're doing a lot of good.

Music has the potential to do many things, like capture the spirit of the times. When people look back to this moment in history, what do you think will really capture the modern zeitgeist?
Much like Dukakis sticking his tiny head out of a tank, Obama Girl and the McCain Girls have stuck out so far. But the election is far away. I'm sure something else will pop up, again, like Dukakis from his tank, and capture our imaginations. I wish I knew what would happen in the future! If I did, I would be making money off of futures and commodities and would not be doing this interview.

When it comes to your own personal hope, what sort of changes do you expect to come with the '08 elections.
I hope that Obama is elected. Clinton is divisive and a witch. McCain is an old dolt who's not very intelligent. He's just an extension of Bush, it seems. Barack is incredibly smart and well spoken and not inflammatory. Our country is inflamed right now, like a hemorrhoid and Obama's the soothing cream that's going to calm this country down, so it can heal. He's very measured. I want that in a leader. He seems like he'd surround himself with some very intelligent people, much like Kennedy did. At this point, we need some intelligence in the White House. I hope that's what changes in the 2008 elections.

Interview by Ben Kharakh

Starpulse.com contributing writer