Clinton's offkey Stars and Stripes proves file-sharers' hit

[T_i_B]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2037120,00.html

Which clip would you rather watch: an earnest, approachable Hillary Clinton seated at a desk announcing, "This is the first of many talks I hope to be having with you" as she outlines her strategy for Iraq, or a fuzzy video of her off-key rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at a rally in Iowa?

The users of YouTube and other file-sharing websites are in little doubt. While the "HillCast: Roadmap out of Iraq" has been viewed 15,000 times since it was posted three weeks ago, the candidate's singing has garnered 1.1 million viewers in a month.

Mrs Clinton is not alone in discovering the demotic instincts of the web do not always bend to the wishes of campaign strategists. The video of John Edwards's announcement that he would run for president lags behind one in which he combs his hair before a TV appearance to the added accompaniment of Julie Andrews singing I Feel Pretty.

On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani has placed videos of his speeches, one almost an hour long, on the web, while John McCain is offering 25 short video clips highlighting such qualities as "honour", "courage" and "faith".