BEST

I GOT A CRUSH...ON OBAMA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU

By Ben Relles, starring Amber Lee Ettinger and Leah Kauffman, co-produced by Rick Friedrich, Larry Strong and Kevin Arbouet

Number of views so far: 2,241,731

Video features a curvaceous brunette romping through New York City to a R&B ditty, breathlessly singing her love and staunch support for Illinois senator Barack Obama.

Watch out for spoofs of celebrities, pop songs and popular TV series. Lyrics include 'You're into border security/Let's break the border between you and me', 'I cannot wait, 'til 2008/Baby you're the best candidate/Of the new oval office' and 'You can Barack me tonight'.

Verdict: Laugh-out-loud funny. Can't wait for the second instalment.

VOTE DIFFERENT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo

By Obama supporter Philip de Vellis

Number of views so far: 3,524,896

This is the first 'viral' video ad of the 2008 presidential campaign, spreading through the Internet community like wildfire.

It mashes up Hillary Clinton's face and voice with Ridley Scott's famous '1984' ad for Apple computers. Clinton is seen as Big Brother, lecturing from a screen to the downtrodden masses. The screen is eventually smashed and everyone liberated when a lone runner hurls a mallet at it. The ad ends with the caption 'barackobama.com', though his campaign had no involvement in the making of the video.

Verdict: Cleverly subversive and well-executed.

MCCAIN SINGS STREISAND

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTuwBw9q3Sw

By YouTube user and McCain supporter Briguy17

Number of views so far: 72,468

Who knew Republican Senator John McCain could be funny?

In an admirable attempt to woo young voters across the United States, he appeared on American comedy show Saturday Night Live in June last year singing - butchering actually - popular songs by Barbra Streisand.

A McCain fan who thought McCain deserved extra publicity for his effort posted the video online.

The video was an instant hit, eliciting comments like 'I never voted Republican in my life, but I might vote for McCain'.

Verdict: McCain is highly entertaining if not plain admirable for his ability to laugh at himself.

WORST

BILL AND HILLARY SOPRANO

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/video/36.aspx

Number of views so far: At least 900,000 have viewed copies on YouTube

In an official video to launch Hillary's campaign song (You And I by Celine Dion), the Clintons spoof the final scene of popular TV series The Sopranos and its controversial cliffhanger.

Hillary plays mobster Tony Soprano while Bill, who plays her 'wife', appears disappointed to get carrots instead of the scripted onion rings. Both have the acting chops of wooden puppets.

There is a mention of the Clintons' daughter Chelsea, who gets jibed for failing to parallel park. But nobody gets whacked in the end.

Verdict:

Even Keanu Reeves can act better than this duo.

RUDY GIULIANI IN DRAG WITH DONALD TRUMP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IrE6FMpai8

By YouTube user itsgiulianitime

Number of views so far: 354,893

Former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani appears in drag in this video, which was originally filmed for a 'roast' - where peers or the press poke fun at a celebrity or politician to honour him - in 2000.

But it is now being used by his detractors, notably as publicity for Kevin Keating's documentary Giuliani Time, which The New York Times called 'nothing less than a full frontal assault on the civic deification of Rudolph W. Giuliani that occurred in the days after Sept 11, 2001, when much of the news coverage shined a spotlight on his steady hand'.

In it, the current Republican frontrunner has his 'breasts' nuzzled by property mogul Donald Trump, who is helping him choose a nice perfume.

'Ooh, you naughty boy!' a blonde-wigged Guiliani screams in falsetto tones as he mock-slaps 'The Donald'.

Verdict: In no other motion picture film have two hair pieces been more terrifying than this.

HILLARY CLINTON SINGS NATIONAL ANTHEM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfZ_gXCHaMw

By YouTube user breitbart

Number of views so far: 1,344,638

The incredibly off-key singing of Senator Hillary Clinton, wife of former US president Bill Clinton, gets picked up by microphones at an event in Iowa in January this year.

Her butchering of the US national anthem garnered comments like 'Tone deaf, but a great first woman president' and 'Tone deaf, even more reason to hate her'.

Verdict: Love her or hate her, you will blush on behalf of Clinton.