07/31/08 03:21 pm ET
McCain's comments about his lack of familiarity with the Internet (and subsequent blogs about it) continued when he swung through the San Francisco Bay area this week, where he told reporters that he is forcing himself to use the computer more and more every day, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. McCain responded to a question concerning how he could be a 21st century president without being familiar with routine 21st century technology saying his time as chairman of the Commerce Committee for several years gave him intimate knowledge of technology's role in the economy and people's lives. "It's not as if I'm out of the loop," he said. "I understand the criticism, but I don't think it's fair."
COMMENTS
I think he is smart not to become enslaved by the digital age. As president, he will have enough minions to keep him informed--he does not need to spend hours a day poking buttons and reading little print!
John 08/04/08 11:29 am ET
McCain told the press he read his email now - though he reads it by having staff print it out and give it to him to read in hard copy.
"Out of touch" just doesn't begin to cover it. It's not age. My son-in-law's 88-year-old grandfather just visited us and he's totally comfortable with the Internet and completely attuned to world events as a result. McCain is not the sharpest quill on the porcupine to begin with. Coupling that with being really rich, by marriage, and a long-term senator and the result is predictable.
The president obviously doesn't have to blog to govern, but to be this out of touch with a major aspect of the current environment of most of the country renders him, IMHO, unfit to govern.
John Douglas 08/04/08 09:24 am ET
Give that man a slide rule.
Byrt 08/01/08 12:10 pm ET
To me, the question was one of having the Chief Executive understand the culture of his country, whether or not he ever blogs or has an avatar on Second Life. He's in a position where he's used to having people do most everything for him; he's the ultimate knowledge worker, without a computer. The question is, does he understand how technology and the internet has changed the culture, what concerns the people have about privacy, the impact of globalization on the economy, etc. Being a smart guy, I'm sure he does, to a degree. What I may be seeing from his comments is a lack of interest because he's so busy elsewhere, but the desire to learn and grow with new technology is critical to understanding and leading a country, I believe.
Debby 08/01/08 11:20 am ET
I am 70 and use the net extensively. Being tech literate does not mean learning the computer only. It means using the wonderful tools that technology has give us in the past 10 years. One big one is the ability of communicate over the net in video/audio and share files, make important changes on important documents, the list is endless. If a President does not even know these exist, how can he do his job effectively?
Beto 08/01/08 08:59 am ET