Madonna Compares McCain To Hitler, Obama To Gandhi

Oh Madonna, you scamp.

Even at 50, the queen of pop can't stop courting controversy. As Madonna kicked off her "Sticky and Sweet" tour on Saturday, she took a none-too-subtle swipe at John McCain. Amid a four-act show, a video interlude carried images of destruction, global warming, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, Zimbabwe's authoritarian President Robert Mugabe - and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Another sequence, shown later, pictured slain Beatle John Lennon, climate activist Al Gore, Mahatma Gandhi and finally Barack Obama.

McCain's campaign is pissed.

McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds angrily condemned the segment of Madonna's concert in Cardiff on Saturday that appeared to draw a comparison between McCain, Hitler and Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe. "The comparisons are outrageous, unacceptable and crudely divisive all at the same time," Bounds said in a statement reported by Fox News. "It clearly shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider any smear or attack off limits."

Madonna's apparent swipe at McCain came during a performance of the song "Get Stupid", when the Republican contender's image was flashed up alongside images of destruction and global warming as well as Hitler and Mugabe. Towards the end of the song, pictures of Beatles star John Lennon, former US vice-president Al Gore, Indian Mahatma Gandhi and McCain's Democrat rival Barack Obama appeared.

Here's a blurry clip of the video taken by an audience member.