The Techie in Chief

[Commentary] When Sen John McCain described himself earlier this year as a computer illiterate who had never gone online, it just made him look odd. And old. And Out of It. And that's important, because Out of It is what Americans cannot afford in a president at this moment. When McCain was asked to avow Mac or PC and replied "neither"—a totally great response if the question had been "boxers or briefs?"—he said he relied on operatives to parse Web content. It sounded pretty last-generation, like those execs who have their assistants print out the e-mail. Maybe that's why the McCain camp has suddenly gotten aggressive on the tech defense front, putting out a recent statement that says the candidate is now "becoming more familiar with the Internet." Good thing. It's America's keyhole. It pays to listen. So McCain's admission that he was behind the same curve raises a larger, more troubling question: if Osama bin Laden beat us with a laptop, shouldn't we at least have a president who is reasonably conversant with one? After all, some historians believe that one of the reasons the North prevailed during the Civil War is because Lincoln was savvy enough to use the most sophisticated means of communication available. If Senator McCain wants to know how it turns out for those who aren't as adaptable, he could take a look at Jefferson Davis. You can Google him. If you do that sort of thing. Or even know what it means.