Nice.
Jonah Goldberg has the answer with far much less invective than Princess Crabby would use.
Wondering No More
Jonah Goldberg
Yep. The day after 9/11, as part of its "get tough" makeover, the Obama campaign is mocking John McCain for not using a computer, without caring why he doesn't use a computer. From the AP story about the computer illiterate ad:
Yep. The day after 9/11, as part of its "get tough" makeover, the Obama campaign is mocking John McCain for not using a computer, without caring why he doesn't use a computer. From the AP story about the computer illiterate ad:
"Our economy wouldn't survive without the Internet, and cyber-security continues to represent one our most serious national security threats," [Obama spokesman Dan] Pfeiffer said. "It's extraordinary that someone who wants to be our president and our commander in chief doesn't know how to send an e-mail."
Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by "extraordinary." The reason he doesn't send email is that he can't use a keyboard because of the relentless beatings he received from the Viet Cong in service to our country. From the Boston Globe (March 4, 2000):
McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain's encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He's an avid fan - Ted Williams is his hero - but he can't raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball.
In a similar vein I guess it's an outrage that the blind governor of New York David Patterson doesn't know how to drive a car. After all, transportation issues are pretty important. How dare he serve as governor while being ignorant of what it's like to navigate New York's highways.
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The emphasis added is mine.....
4 comments:
I don't consider an encyclopedic knowledge of sports a necessary qualification for president, but it does show that McCain is obviously still sharp.
Also, I never knew about his war injuries preventing him from typing on a keyboard. It's sad that one of his aides don't suggest a headset or Bluetooth to create emails by speech. That's really sad.
Now, Maggie, the comment about Gov. Patterson was over the top. I'll have some words with this Jonah guy.
It's not sad. McCain does not need to be wired up like Steven Hawking to communicate effectively. McCain corresponds via email, he reads them and his wife answers them. It's their system and it works quite well. It's a false assumption on our part that he *needs* email. We (you & I, Stella) can't live without the Net, but whole lives are lived without it. It does not make him any less effective.
I had no problem with the Patterson comment because I think ruling out any politician for high office because he doesn't send his own emails is as silly as ruling out Patterson because he can't drive.
These are two men who are fully functional in their jobs despite what we view as handicaps.
maggie,
far be it for me to disagree with the bastion of liberalism that is the globe, but how do you account for when mccain claimed to be learning to get online without the help of his staff?
"They go on for me. I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself."
He also uses a blackberry. Surely an injury that keeps him from using a keyboard would prevent him from using a blackberry.
Let's be clear. We are not saying that the injury keeps him from hitting any keys on a standard computer keyboard. But we all know that cranking out any sort of volume requires certain body movements (esp. the shoulders) that would be impossible for McCain.
When McCain spoke of getting "online" he meant calling up sites and reading. He has already said he goes online and reads email. Cindy composes his responses.
So either way, Obama's ad is wrong (McCain can read his email and look at different sites) or an attack (he can't compose email or content on his own due to war injuries).
Which would the Obama camp like to be? Wrong or cruel? Whoever made that ad knew all those facts. They were just hoping it would slide into the American subconscious without being corrected.
It's desperation, you fling some poo and hope it sticks. Here at my place, I am going to call it.
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