Ohio Gov. John Kasich is bringing on a pair of Republican campaign veterans ahead of his possible entrance into the 2016 presidential race, including the man behind the 2008 ad linking President Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears and a number of other memorable campaign spots.

Fred Davis, a California adman who worked on Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, will be the lead media consultant for Mr. Kasich‘s super PAC, New Day for America.

Mr. Davis was behind spots like the 2008 ad featuring Mr. Obama, then a U.S. senator, as well as images of Ms. Hilton and Ms. Spears, as well as the “demon sheep” ad during former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina‘s 2010 U.S. Senate race in California. Ms. Fiorina is now a 2016 GOP presidential candidate.

John Weaver, who also worked on Mr. McCain’s 2008 campaign, is to be a senior strategist for Mr. Kasich. The hires were first reported by Bloomberg Politics and The Washington Post.

Mr. Kasich is running near the back of the pack in early polling on the 2016 GOP field, but hails from the all-important Buckeye State and has been making the rounds in early presidential states. He also recently slammed former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, for her recent comments on voting rights.

The heated war over fracking is returning to the silver screen.

Natural-gas industry groups Wednesday released their documentary film “Truthland,” billed as a factual response to the popular but controversial “Gasland,” an Oscar-nominated film beloved by environmental activists for its highly critical portrayal of fracking and its effect on small communities.

But “Gasland” also touched off an intense backlash from natural gas proponents, who argue that many of the movie’s claims and depictions – including the now-famous scene of a resident in the fracking epicenter of Pennsylvania lighting his tap water on fire because of high levels of methane – are misleading at best, and completely bogus at worst.

“This isn’t the first time something has been released that sets the record straight on the mountain of misinformation in ‘Gasland,’ ” said Jeff Eshelman, vice president of public affairs at the Independent Petroleum Association of America, one of the industry groups that bankrolled and produced “Truthland.”

“But it is the first time that these facts have been transmitted in such vivid detail, through such a compelling medium,” he said.

The 34-minute film is available online at the site truthlandmovie.com, on DVD by request, and at special screenings in several states affected by the fracking debate.

“Truthland” features interviews with energy and engineering experts, landowners who have leased property for natural gas exploration former government officials and others.

Meanwhile, “Gasland” director Josh Fox continues to work on a sequel to his film.

He was arrested in February and charged with unlawful entry after trying to film a House of Representatives fracking hearing without prior permission.

The Washington Times