Gravel's got mad game in new Web vid

Former Alaska Senator and quixotic Democratic candidate Mike Gravel hasn't been very visible on the campaign trail lately, as the media virtually ignores his foundering campaign and excludes him from debates.

A newly released Web parody reveals how Gravel may have been spending his time -- fragging opponents in Halo 3. The white-haired onetime lawmaker made a cameo in a short episode of Elevator, produced by the online comedy troupe Runaway Box.

In the episode, a character complains about how he was "owned ... all night" by an Xbox Live player with the gamertag "giveemhellGravel." Gravel shows up in the elevator where the scene is set and admits his prowess in the popular first-person shooter.

"I had the energy sword, what did he expect?" Gravel says, referencing a powerful weapon available to players in Halo 3.

Gavel's Xbox gamertag, if real, would look something like this:



Whether the cameo -- which had nearly 10,000 views on YouTube early Friday -- will help Gravel's campaign remains to be seen, but he's apparently won at least one convert.

"After watching this, I'd vote for the guy!" writes Louis Wu on a Halo fan site.

Gravel's appearance isn't the first intersection of Halo and politics. Last month, as RAW STORY reported, a group of college students played 12-hour Halo marathons for a week to raise money for Republican candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), whose explosive online popularity has translated to impressive fundraising and respectable poll numbers in early primary states.

Gravel enjoyed a similar surge of online support early in his campaign, but his popularity has waned in recent months. Whether Xbox players become the next sought-after voting bloc remains to be seen.

The following video was posted on YouTube Thursday:



