Obama's science-tech policies top McCain's

[Commentary] John McCain has seen the future - and it looks a lot like the last decade. Over the last several years a consensus has developed among experts in technology, science, and innovation that the United States has begun to lose its historic dominance in high-tech innovation and scientific discovery. Recognizing this critical challenge, last year Sen. Barack Obama launched a thoughtful, comprehensive plan to reshape the American economy to compete in the Digital Age. His plan draws from the lessons of recent decades to change how our schools and universities educate the next generation, to invest in science and research and to modernize our telecommunications networks. Just over two months before the election, Sen. John McCain has responded with his own technology agenda. It reveals a lack of vision and more of the same failed policies of the current administration. To respond to the global competitiveness challenge, McCain's agenda rests largely on a variety of tax breaks for corporations, many of which I would support. However, McCain fundamentally misunderstands how innovation and technology emerge and how the United States became a high-tech superpower over the last half-century.

(Ms Eshoo represents the 14th Congressional District and is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.)