THE US REPORT

How important is it for a president—for anyone, really—to be computer savvy? That question is floating around various media right now, and a columnist at PC Magazine wrote a very thoughtful essay about the subject. He wrote the column in response to Sen. John McCain’s remarks about not using the Internet—the senator says he has others get him what he needs online. Tech types are concerned about that, because of issues like Net neutrality, spyware and countless other issues. I’m not too worried, and here’s why.

For starters, I resisted a computer for years after the technology became more user-friendly. Like many other writers, I viewed the computer as a hindrance to creativity.  The only reason I really began to use one is that I secured a very nice contract that required me to be computer literate. And another reason is that my husband bought me a computer, largely I suspect out of pity.

My younger daughter loves to tell her friends how, after all the wires and the modem were connected, I picked up the mouse and aimed it, Nintendo style, at the screen. “Mom, you’re not supposed to shoot anything,” my daughter said.

Funny thing is I discovered my inner geek. I absolutely loved fishing around in the innards of that computer just to see what was there. I became quite literate, learned to build websites that won’t win awards but that worked for a modest writer like myself, learned about security and blogging and so many other wonderful things I can’t imagine doing without a computer.

Other funny thing is it didn’t take long for me to learn all that. Learning to use a computer is a helluva lot easier than learning to drive a stick shift. Or a plane.

Now jump back to McCain for a minute. The other thing the essayist pointed out about McCain is his age. Yep, that again. Why is it no one ever talks about the age of those who serve in Congress? Sen. Barack Obama himself points out in his first book that when he took office the average age of senators hovered around 60.

And if the PC Mag essayist were in my office sitting across from me right now, I’d ask him about the age of a man who chairs what is inarguably one of the most important committees in Congress, Senate Appropriations. That chair would be Sen. Robert Byrd. He’s 91. Others who are older than McCain include Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. He’s 88. You can read about more liberal public figures who are in some cases way older than McCain in an essay I wrote at Red State.

Each presidential hopeful brings his own skills to the table. I don’t think Sen. Barack Obama can fly a plane. Nor does he have combat experience. I can’t think of a single president in modern times who had to acquire the skills to stay alive in a prison where torture and starvation were routine. Trust me, that type of adversity breeds a strength most of us will never learn.

Lookit. Sen. McCain has the ability, if he needs to, to learn to use the Internet. He also has staff, if he needs it, to provide any assistance necessary. Most presidents do not grab information firsthand. How many calls do you even think a president takes himself, directly? That’s what they make briefings and assistants and cabinets for.  McCain can run rings around Sen. Byrd—just look at a few videos of Byrd at YouTube—and  McCain does not carry any racially discriminatory baggage—heavy baggage—as Byrd does in his past. And in my opinion, McCain’s got a whole lot more faculties than Stevens.

And it’s no secret that a major percentage of top tech types are pro-Democrat. Former vice-president Al Gore is an advisor to Google. Take a look at theWired article and note all the tech types who move in Gorian circles. I’m not complaining—this is the U.S. and you support whomever you like. I count many tech types among my friends, one among my closest friends. We agree to disagree at times on politics, though the very smartest tech guy I know is an avid McCain supporter. I've even got a buddy who's a Ron Paul supporter and another who refuses to accept Sen. Hillary Clinton did not get the "presumed" nomination.

Tech savvy can be acquired in short order—I’m living proof of that. Just ask my youngest kid and she’ll tell you I haven’t tried to shoot a computer with anything in a long time, even when I was really really mad and scream cussing under my breath because the computer didn't do what I wanted it to— at least I didn't think about shooting it with a mouse.

 Photo of me in my office was taken by Kristiano Leme, one very tech savvy fellow.