John McCain helped invent the BlackBerry? Who knew?

John McCain's technological acumen is back in the news -- courtesy of one of his top aides.

Barack Obama's campaign sought to spotlight the subject late last week with a controversial ad that scoffed at the Republican's computer skills.

At a gathering in Washington today, McCain domestic policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin was asked about his candidate's grasp of high-tech matters. Holtz-Eakin held up his BlackBerry and, in a nod toward McCain's onetime tenure as head of the Senate Commerce Committee, said, "He did this."

(An earlier version of this post misspelled Douglas Holtz-Eakin's last name as Holz-Eakin.)

He elaborated: "Telecommunications in the United States, the premiere innovation in the past 15 years, comes right through the Commerce Committee. So you're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create. And that's what he did."

Throughout the world of politics, one sentence instantly leaped to mind: "Al Gore invented the Internet."

That's what occurred to our colleague Mark Silva of the Chicago Tribune, and he has more on what has become the great Blackberry debate at the Swamp blog.

[UPDATE: Note that Silva's posting includes the demurral from McCain's camp about Holtz-Eakin's comment]

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Jeremiah Johnson]

He elaborated: "Telecommunications in the United States, the premiere innovation in the past 15 years, comes right through the Commerce Committee. So you're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create. And that's what he did."
---------

Oh, so politicians invented telecommunications? They created this technology? My flipping dog! Come on!

The free market invented telecommunications and related technologies. All government did was slow down the development of these things. We don't need their permission to invent. Sorry John McCain. What Republican Party are you from?

-------
The bureaucrat worshiper prayer, "We thank thee oh dear Govt. for giving us food through the Dept. of Agriculture and electricity to power our homes through the Dept. of Energy. Oh and thank you for giving us our homes through HUD and for taking our money we don't know how to spend and giving us charity. And thank you for protecting us from foreign invaders by having troops in every country and spreading your good word of democracy at the barrel of a gun. Oh wise Govt.! In Al Gore's name we pray, Amen."

[NAFTA]

RIM is a Canadian company. So when John McCain says "Country First" I guess we should be asking which country.

[Adrienne]

Repbulicans really think people are stupid. Well I am not stupid enough to vote for McCain/Palin. No matter how many lies they try to shove on us daily. " i say thanks but no thanks" Too bad the guttless media doesn't do their job and put an end to all this nonsense. The United States is in economic turmoil and the repulsive republicans come up with all this crap. It has become a waste a time to listen to or read anything they have to say.

[El-Kris-O]

I'm pretty sure John McCain also invented the wheel, and a few years after that drafted the Magna Carta, then went on to becoming one of the original founding fathers of the United States of America.. Heck, I think he's even been president a few times already.

[Christian]

Ok, i'm an independent voter strongly supporting Barack Obama.

But come on! McCain didn't say this himself, and when he heard about it he scoffed at it and laughed saying he had no claims to inventing anything.

I hate McCain, I DESPISE Palin (I still can't believe this isn't a big practical joke). But come on, this is not good reporting. This is a tactic McCain would pull. I really hope Obama's people ignore this. Let's keep talking about the real issues. Like the reckless way McCain chose this nitwit.

Am I the only one that fears someday seeing President Palin... who will cure homosexuality with prayer and shoot all endagnered animals from a helicopter?

[Historian1956]

Maybe he invented it, but he can't use any feature of it other than the phone.

[Susan McNamee]

This is better than Al Gore discovering the Internet!!!!

[Rodney Lamprey]

If McCain invented the Blackberry, maybe he can help the Bush administration recover the thousands of illegally deleted emails at the White House.

[Davis]

the BlackBerry was developed by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM).

[J. desmond]

Well, that's not really surprising, he also invented the flintlock, the covered wagon, the pony express, railroads and, of course, the telephone (OK, he just helped Alexander Graham bell on that).
What a guy!
If during all that time, he actually kept any ethics, we would all be better off.

[Barbara R]

It's a joke, for God's sake! Perhaps the header could include that... McCain Aide JOKES about ....

[Dave]

If McCain is going to lie at least he should have said he invented the Iphone, McCain is so yesterday!

[Terry]

UNBELIEVABLE

Can we move on to some substance?

[Angela]

I think he did it by accepting "donations" from the company's big wiggs!!!

[MTobais]

John Bush and George McCain both invented the blackberry.

John McCain invented the Abacus.

[blip]

See... that's why I am voting for McCain-Palin. They can invent things they neither use nor understand. They just have to think them into existence.

Now, McCain, just wish the economy back into order.

[PJ]

The McCain camp is getting away with so many lies they are getting giddy...and careless. No one, and I mean NO ONE is going to believe that McCain is a Maverick.

[Tortured Soul]

John McCain invented the Blackberry? And with tortured fingers? Why he is no ordinary man, he's POSER MAN. Flip-Flops faster than an IHOP Chef. More powerful than a Republican deception. Able to to leap over important issues. He can bend the truth with his mere claims. Yes it's POSER MAN.

He and his trusty side kick, TOKEN CHICK, are knocking on doors and texting constituents to let them know that this dreary duo can promise four more years exactly like the last eight years.

[Chorkie]

Just because he was chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee doesn't mean that he actually "worked on the actual project" that developed the Blackberry. No wonder I like a Treo better.

[tb]

Yawn....Its clear Don Frederick needs some guidance on how to write about something worth writing about and not this non-sense.
Who ya voting for Donny boy?

[GOPA]

as for the upper class jerk who does not want any tax cuts........give the money back!

[Lynn Hackman]

When did John McCain say he invented anything?

[Mint CO]

Yeah he also invented Sara Plain, a walking, talking, attractive, pit bull with lipstick. Pretty cool invitation except a softwear glitch makes the pit bull bark the same ten phrases over and over and over and over. The McCain campaign is try to fix this glitch behind close doors especially away from the media. It has been weeks now and the situation seems critical so the campaign is taking steps at least by teaching the pit bull some new barking phrases.

[Cobrabee Raptorson]

I like how people make excuses for McCain not using the computer because of injuries sustained in Vietnam. It reminds me of how they'll inject his POW experience into any irrelevant subject.

Stephen Hawking, a quadriplegic, somehow manages to use a computer.

[Krista]

Wow. Intellectual Dishonesty at its best. Really glad to see the LA Times is doing it's part to make sure no one gets to think for themselves this election.