McCain Invented Blackberry? Adviser Says He Helped

MIAMI — Move over, Al Gore. You may lay claim to the Internet, but John McCain helped create the BlackBerry.

At least that's the contention of a top McCain policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Waving his BlackBerry personal digital assistant and citing McCain's work as a senator, he told reporters Tuesday, "You're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create."

A McCain aide later dismissed the remark as "a boneheaded joke by a staffer."

McCain has acknowledged that he doesn't know how to use a computer and can't send e-mail, one of the BlackBerry's prime functions.

Holtz-Eakin's argument is similar to one advanced by Gore, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2000. Gore once boasted about "taking the initiative to create the Internet" through technological and educational policies. He later was mocked for claiming to have invented the Internet, although he never made such a claim.

Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, said McCain's service on and leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee put him at the intersection of a number of economic interests, including the telecommunications industry.

The Arizona senator's handling of regulation and deregulation of that industry in particular left him with the skills to help revive the economy amid a mortgage crisis, an energy crisis and a Wall Street meltdown, the adviser said.

"He can and has the judgment to put people in place with technical expertise, with the history of experience in the areas necessary, that we're going to get reforms," Holtz-Eakin said.

Senior McCain aide Matt McDonald said that the senator "laughed" when he heard the comment about the BlackBerry.

"He would not claim to be the inventor of anything, much less the BlackBerry. This was obviously a boneheaded joke by a staffer," McDonald said.

In a statement, Democratic candidate Barack Obama's campaign spokesman Bill Burton said: "If John McCain hadn't said that 'the fundamentals of our economy are strong' on the day of one of our nation's worst financial crises, the claim that he invented the BlackBerry would have been the most preposterous thing said all week."

Comments

[Wuzzup]

I think Obama had better hurry up and invent something, anything just to keep up with Jmc!!!

[VictoriaBuncheuer]

The Blackberry was developed and is still owned by the company Research in Motion, a Canadian Company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry

So, was John spending some time in Canada inventing it? Maybe the advisor meant to say that Sarah Palin invented the Blackberry. After all, Alaska is right next to Canada. You can even SEE Canada from inside Alaska.

[JonW]

John's out in left field but i didn't realize how far that was!

[Moxo]

But are Republicans ready for a Blackberry?? Apparently they favor the Whiteberry, and the Mooseberry.

[Bongborg]

and the Dingleberry...

[lukebenward]

And dingle ling.

[Anthony712]

I think he invented fire too...or something from that period when he was born.

[CindyWV]

Too funny!

[Bluedanube]

Given McCain's age, it's being rumored on the internets that he also invented the wheel.

[CindyWV]

You, too--too funny!

Thanks for the laughs, folks. We need them.

[jsarets]

McCain also claims to have invented the strawberry. "The only fruit with the seeds on the outside," he beams with pride.

[blowhard]

Funniest comment of the day.....hahahahahahaha

[booksnmore4you]

Oh, the poetic justice with Gore.

[praxitas]

maybe he helped choose a color. very sad.

[Bitsko]

And Ronald Reagan filmed the gas chambers at Auschwitz with his trusty 8mm camera. Remember that yarn?

[oregonrain]

Tried replying to a comment , but , it says Im banned from commenting ? What's with that ?

[Bitsko]

Try reloading the page. That seems to do the trick.

[Teeninchee]

I've had that happen before, too. Then, I can click elsewhere and comment. DUNNO.

[bitterindependent]

maybe he invented the internets too......WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wuzzup]

WOW! It keeps getting better it seems JMc helped invent PDA http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0908/McCain_has_claimed_credit_for_development_of_PDAs_in_past.html#commentsents

[RoveRoveRoveYourBoat]

...mccain invented the dingleberry.

[ReportThis]

"Boneheaded joke" -- kinda sums up the whole McBush/Quaylin ticket.

[bleek]

The advisor actually meant blackberry-based natural laxative.