Well, I mean, can you blame him? What with the blogs and everything?

i only got a cell phone 4 years ago.

and most days i'm not really sure why i need one.

My goodness. His staff has to print out his emails for him to read. He really *is* old.

Why e-mail himself when he has peons to print them out for him to read and then send responses on his behalf?

Duh.

@2: Same, except I got my cell this year.

(And I'm 22. Does this make me more of a dinosaur?)

I use my cellie ten minutes a year.

I'm not sure I understand why McCain needs to get all computery to be a good candidate. I can see why big-time bloggers think so, because they want access to power. But from the perspective of the President of the United States, what's in it for him? If he wants to talk to someone, they're there. Everything is taken down and transcribed. The smartest people in America will come directly to his office if he wants. Blogs? Why would the President read blogs? Why wouldn't he have staff read the damn blogs and report to him if they come across an interesting idea? If I was President, I don't think I'd still be commenting on Slog; I'd be, you know, BUSY.

The idea that there is something inherently different or special or groovy about the internet is the attitude of the relatively new user, who is still excited about the thrills (ooh, look, a flash animated dancing monkey!) but hasn't yet figured out it's just a tool.

I have a cell phone that I use to check e-mail from work. Most times when it rings I let it go to voice mail. I suppose I have it for emergencies or as a means of calling guys I am hooking up with for directions to their place.

Okay, is he trying to sound like Mr. Burns quote now?

The only people who use the phrase "use the computer" are John McCain and that guy who cells CD-ROM's on TV that show old people how to "use the computer".

Please... buy my product.

yes, I want my president to have to spend his press conferences talking about his text messaging habits. cripes, in his own way he's as fuckwitted as bush.

@4 wins

I wish I was rich/powerful enough to never have to waste a second of precious life in front of a computer monitor or to even have to hold a cell phone

I hear Ted Stevens is his young apprentice who is teaching Master McCain the dark side of the Internets, with assistance from his former padawan Darth Bush.

i use computers everyday, such as the Automated Teller Machineyolamatrolamaton that grants me access to the trollop's account.

As kitschy-stupid as this plays to all of us in the e-telligensian towers of Microsoft Cascadia, remember Bushie's talk about "The Internets" hardly hurt him in his elections--and in fact probably endeared him to all those Muddle Americans who see "the series of tubes" that is the electronic infrastructure as intimidating or threatening to expose their lack of sophistication and knowledge.

Hence, McCain's folksy Luddite act might thud to us here, but it sure plays well in them there Flyover States.

Politicians get in political hot-water more often when they talk about or do things that clearly AREN'T them (i.e. Dukakis in the tank, Bush trying to scan groceries).

If they are going through the trouble of printing them out and showing them to him, couldn't someone just read to him and save a couple evergreens? srsly.

I hear McCain likes Vista ...

OMG I can hear it now! "Has anyone awakened the President?" "Was the President awake yet?" "Why did the President nod off during the conference?"

What?

Did someone say something, Mommy?

No, I didn't press the red button, the casting director's out of the room.

Well, at least we know he won't spend hours a day lurking on porn sites.

What is the sound of one hand typing, grasshopper?

I'm more concerned with him having no idea how much a gallon of milk or a gallon of gas costs than I am about him being techtarded.