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

[pakaal]

"Waving his BlackBerry personal digital assistant and citing McCain's work as a senator, [Douglas Holtz-Eakin] 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."

Just to summarize, the McCain campaign now thinks their economic advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin is a "staffer" making boneheaded jokes. What a confidence-builder!

[warsaw]

Maybe we should send him the election results via his blackberry.

[BobsNotWorking]

If I were John McCain I'd forbid any of my staff from even using the word "deregulation". That crowd is pretty good at following orders. Samantha Bee almost couldn't get any of the delegates to the RNC to even use the word "choice". If these things didn't affect us all so dramatically it would be pretty funny stuff.

[SpoxLogic]

Ahh you saw taht as well, eh? Yep, that was a pretty funny piece. I especially liked the look on the younger woman's face. You could tell the logic had hit ehr and it seemed like inside her, the stupidity of her beliefs was beginning to dawn on her and she had to fight it off.

PRICELESS.

[skooby]

It's almost like the McCain wants to lose.

[dadohead]

I'm confused: his war injuries prevent him from using a computer keyboard for simple email and internet demands, but he can invent a Blackberry? Man, I'm pretty dextrous, but I can't work a Blackberry.

John--you're the man!

[gretchenart]

No I think he invented the square wheel and is still convinced that is what makes the world go round. Of course, since his version of the earth is still flat, I guess we would all either need to be above ground or on the underbelly!

[wndrwrthg]

No, what they actually ment was that he invinted blackberries, the fruit, waaay back when.

[leggs67]

A computer illiterate invented the blackberry? The stuff coming out of the McCain cam is beyond rediculous

[belikejeanvaljean]

I guess he takes credit for the Worldcom mess, too.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

If ever there was a time for "Stay the Course" now is it.

1) Regiser (YOU CAN REGISTER AT THE POST OFFICE ALSO ( NO STAMPS REQUIRED)
2) Get Someone else registered
3) Vote on Nov-4

[barackobama4prez]

VOTE EARLY PEOPLE!

They can't tinker with the votes as much if we register and actually vote BEFORE 11/4!

[nighthawk808]

If you live in a Diebold district, you may end up voting often, too. In fact, you'll be able to cast two votes for the republican candidate for each democrat you vote for--whether you like it or not.

[JAB20]

And I invented the space shuttle too!

[Mattplastik]

Yeah, I heard John McCain discovered fire and invented the wheel...but still needs to discover truth, justice, decency, the Constitution and evolution, and invent a potion for revitalized youth...

[pattio66]

Shades of Al Gore...let's not let stupidity distract us from the goal...Obama 2008/2012

[Trittydi]

Al Gore never said he invented the internet though. And he DID initiate and push for the legislation that helped create it initially.
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[crayola 08]

oh lordy, mccain can't even use a computer how the hell is he gonna maneuver his stubby little fingers around a blackberry?

[Trittydi]

It's too funny. That's the problem with republics - they always go TOO far - no matter what it is. That's because they're consummate, pathological liars. In fact - sociopathic to a great degree. VERY interesting parallel traits here between repukelics and sociopaths.
http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html
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[DavidBlackburn]

I believe they were talking about the fruit, which would be more age appropriate.

[Trittydi]

Maybe because he looks like a blackbery - short, squat, lumpy all over.
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