Yes, McCain Can Use Electronics

The Drudge Report and several conservative blogs are working themselves into a lather over the new Obama ad noting that John McCain doesn't know how to use a computer.

Their claim is that McCain is simply unable to use a computer because of his POW injuries, citing a March 2000 article in the Boston Globe that states, with no supporting evidence...

McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes.

Of course, this directly contradicts what McCain and his campaign manager have said. McCain told the New York Times in July:

I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don't expect to be a great communicator, I don't expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.

Campaign manager Rick Davis said in June that McCain would grab Blackberrys from reporters and tool around on the internet:

He actually is, he always is grabbing people's Blackberrys on the bus. In fact, no reporter's Blackberry is safe from his prying eyes. He loves to tool around on the internet, he especially loves the videos that get produced that usually poke fun at him. I think that's his most entertaining part of the internet.

And in a Politico interview, McCain said again that he uses a blackberry and plans to go online:

I use the Blackberry, but I don't e-mail, I've never felt the particular need to e-mail. I read e-mails all the time, but the communications that I have with my friends and staff are oral and done with my cell phone. I have the luxury of being in contact with them literally all the time.

And if you don't believe their words, try these photos:

From March 2001: An AP photo, whose caption reads, "McCain works his cell phone in Arlington, Va., checking with staff members on the status of amendments to his campaign finance reform bill"

From July 2007: McCain using a cell phone while holding a Blackberry

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From June 2007: An AP photo of McCain "paus[ing] to check his cell phone during a news conference"

From November 2007:

Comments

[brettjay]

Cindy, I need to make another call.

[realdoozy]

From a July New York Times interview:

Q: What websites if any do you look at regularly?

Mr. McCain: Brooke and Mark show me Drudge, obviously, everybody watches, for better or for worse, Drudge. Sometimes I look at Politico. Sometimes RealPolitics, sometimes.

(Mrs. McCain and Ms. Buchanan both interject: "Meagan's blog!")

Q: But do you go on line for yourself?

Mr. McCain: They go on for me. I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don't expect to be a great communicator, I don't expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need – including going to my daughter's blog first, before anything else.

Q: Do you use a blackberry or email?

Mr. McCain: No

Mark Salter: He uses a BlackBerry, just ours.

Mr. McCain: I use the Blackberry, but I don't e-mail, I've never felt the particular need to e-mail. I read e-mails all the time, but the communications that I have with my friends and staff are oral and done with my cell phone. I have the luxury of being in contact with them literally all the time. We now have a phone on the plane that is usable on the plane, so I just never really felt a need to do it.
edited for content.
.http://tinyurl.com/57w6fw

[VailBeach]

Okaaaaay...

So this is how you're defending the Obama ad?

Obama side: McCain can't send e-mail! Boooo!
McCain side: Yeah, he can't e-mail because of his POW injuries.
Obama side: Outrageous lie! We have pictures of McCain sending e-mail. Boooo!

Tell Obama to come back in four years when he gets a clue.

[freddynono]

lol...you are so right. And very funny.

Obama side: But really when will McCain stop bringing up these bogus issues. er...um...oh..that was one of our ads? nevermind.

[kravitz]

A Blackberry means not having to raise your arm to answer email.

And if he did need to type...his staff can Google

"The Magic Wand Keyboard is a miniature computer keyboard, with a built-in mouse, that allows people with limited or no hand/arm movement to fully access any IBM or Apple Macintosh computer."

[faraway]

So, you have proven that Obama lied and McCain can send an email?

Rove is an evil genius.

He has liberals searching for proof that Obama lies in his campaign ads.

[TheQuestion]

Does he know how to fix an election ???

[synonys]

All this does is show that McCain is very tech-savvy, countering obama's message. It doesn't show that typing is painful because he has to raise his arm.

[Jessrond]

Leave Drudge out of this. He is probably a LIbertarian and I think he likes Obama for having defeated the Clinton Machine.

Many of his articles show an Obama bias, and I sent him your article. What happened was some right-wing blogger found the article and sent it to Drudge. I sent your article to Drudge and I encourage others to as well. He is a fair reporter. If Matt Drudge, Bill O'reilly, and chris matthews made their own TV show, it'd be the most balanced one ever.

[JNail]

But did you know I was a POW??

Now - if I was so disabled how did I get to fly again after rehab?? Fact..

[trappedinaredstate]

Sexist! You're all sexist suggesting McCain can't email! Wait... that's the other one.

POW! That's it - he's a POW and he suffered from torture! Wait... they did the same thing to him that Bush has been doing to 'enemy combatants' and we don't call that torture. Hmmm...

Houses! He didn't even have a house for five and half years... ok... now he has 12. That's more than almost ANYONE has. Sort of makes up for a lot of it. I don't think that Paris Hilton even has that many!

Let me think about this for a minute... I'll come up with something... ummm....

Bullshit!! That's it - McCain's campaign if over-run by bullshit, lies and false outrage! See... I knew I'd come up with the REAL reason this is all such a fuss!!

[gevan]

Good pics. You can't even see where he is plugged into the wall.

[barrista]

Razr? He even uses a lame cellphone.

[PollyTics]

What a sad, sad man...