>>>So comfort level with today's technology does seem to matter. A president who doesn't even know the right way to mention email seems like a risk.
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>>But presidents are, or should be, top executives, not implementers. He (or she) doesn't need to be an expert on the minuitae of cybersecurity, intellectual property laws, comm standards, and the like. The president needs to have qualified people somewhere in the hierarchy who do understand the nuts and bolts and can brief him on the level he needs, i.e. somewhat high level. So a president might say we must have a voice in the setting of new internet or wireless standards, then it is up to subordinates how to go about it. The president has ultimate responsibility, of course -- the buck stops here, as Truman memorably put it -- but that does not imply personal mastery of every detail. Nobody could do that. It's like expecting the CEO of Motorola to know .NET.
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>I agree that the president doesn't need to be an expert in this stuff, but given the importance of technology, he needs to be comfortable with it and to understand its importance. A guy who refers to "the email" when he means "email" seems to have fallen well behind the curve.
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>Kind of like Ted Stevens and the "tubes."
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Just because we're gearheads doesn't mean everyone has to be ;-)