How many houses does John McCain own?

John McCain has so many houses that he doesn't know how many he owns. That's what the Arizona senator said Wednesday in an interview with Politico.com.

The Democrats have been pounding at McCain's wealth for the past few weeks, pointing out that the Republican legislator flies in his own private jet, owns several houses, wears $520 Italian shoes, and is married to a beer heiress worth more than $100 million.

When asked specifically how many homes he owned, McCain replied, "I think -- I'll have my staff get to you." Speaking in Las Cruces, New Mexico, McCain said, "It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you."

Politico says the correct answer is "at least four, located in Arizona, California and Virginia." But the Democrats released a new ad saying McCain owns 7 houses, and just a few days ago a group called Brave New Films unveiled a video that said McCain and his wife Cindy own 10 homes.

The Democrats don't seem to know exactly how many homes McCain owns either, but they all seems to agree it's at least five. Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Politico's Ben Smith that McCain "wears $500 shoes, has six houses and comes from one of the richest families in his state."

But in an interview in The New York Times, David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist mentioned the Arizona Republican sitting "on the portico of the McCain estate in Sedona -- or maybe in one of his six other houses," suggesting that McCain has 7 houses.

The Obama campaign seems to settle on lucky number 7 and released an ad on Thursday called "Seven" (see below) to underscore its message.

"Maybe you're struggling just to pay the mortgage on your home," says the announcer in the ad. "But recently John McCain said, 'The fundamentals of our economy are strong.' Hmm. Then again, that same day, when asked how many houses he owns, McCain lost track -- he couldn't remember. Well, it's seven. Seven houses. And here's one house America can't afford to let John McCain move into." The camera then shows an image of the White House.

But the McCain camp fired back at Obama. "Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?" said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.

Senator Obama owns one house, a point he emphasized in a speech this week. Citing what he suggested was McCain's indifference to Americans struggling in the economy, Obama said, "If you're like me and you've got one house - or you were like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so that they don't lose their home -- you might have a different perspective."

The Democrats also noted that when asked what he considers "rich," McCain told Pastor Rick Warren over the weekend that someone is rich if they have $5 million.