Did you hear the one about McCain, your wife, and the blackberry?

In his lust for power, Presidential candidate John McCain explains to the press how he likes to carry a first generation mobile phone around with him to prepare himself for when he gets the “Presidential Football” that will allow him to nuke the world

Being a world leader in technology, American politicians have constantly championed research and development in this area not only for business purposes, but also for matters of national security. Some of these politicians go as far as to take credit for inventions that shouldn’t really be credited to them. For instance, many allege that former Presidential candidate Al Gore claimed to invent the internet. This has led to cottage industry of jokes, especially in the online world. Common sense would suggest that in the future, political figures would hesitate to exaggerate their roles in technological development.

John McCain doesn’t live by those rules. Yesterday, John McCain’s economic advisor credited the candidate with the invention of the . From Wired.com:

Asked by campaign trail reporters what McCain’s experience as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee does to help him to understand the economy and lead the country through its current turmoil, Douglas Holtz-Eakin waved his BlackBerry in the air, according to The Politico.

“Telecommunications of the United States is a premier innovation in the past 15 years, comes right through the Commerce committe,” Holtz-Eakin said. “So you’re looking at the miracle John McCain helped create and that’s what he did.”

Holtz-Eakin has been mocked by the blogosphere since he uttered those words.

But there is a political dimension at play here which few realize. McCain’s reintroduction of the “culture wars” in this election through his choice of Sarah Palin as his Vice-Presidential candidate leaves McCain in a bit of a dilemma: his invention is playing havoc with the stability of the family! Professionals Choosing Blackberry Over Spouse:

How much do tech-addicted workers love their PDAs? Let’s count the ways.

A new survey found that about 35 percent of professionals would pick their PDAs over their spouses if they had to choose.

Senator McCain, your invention is destroying the family.

Obama’s diversity reflects America’s own growing diversity

Various places around the world can lay claim to Obama

Whether or not you support the changes in America’s population through immigration legal or illegal, you cannot deny that it certainly is a much different country from what it was one or two generations ago. Obama is symbolic of this change in that he’s a black man (not wholly) and a child of an immigrant. The thought of such a person making it to the final round of presidential elections only 10 years ago would have been difficult.

The Original Obama: RFK

Bobby Kennedy campaigns in Indianapolis during May of 1968, with various aides and friends, including (behind and left of Kennedy) former prizefighter Tony Zale and (right of Kennedy) N.F.L. stars Lamar Lundy, Rosey Grier, and Deacon Jones

Obama is being touted as the antidote to the almost eight years of continued disaster under George “Dubya” Bush. He has compared himself to JFK in the sense that he’s an outsider seeking the Oval Office. JFK was an Irish Catholic, and Obama is obviously a black man, two groups that haven’t necessarily dominated the Presidency of the USA. Bill Clinton was described as “America’s first black President” but he was more of a small town boy done good who moved his party to the centre at the expense of the traditional leftwing backers of the Democratic Party.

Looking back a bit further and we see the proto-Obama in JFK’s brother, RFK. The younger Kennedy returned to politics not too long after the assassination of his brother, but was a different man. Whereas JFK was a Cold Warrior and a centrist politically, RFK was much more of a liberal and much more in tune with the social situation prevailing in the USA during that era. Much had changed from 1963 to 1968, and RFK not only was aware of the changes but was able to ride that tide of change. The commonality between RFK and Obama stand on two items: the notion of “hope” and their appeal to black voters.

As Americans decide which candidate will succeed Dubya and as the world cheers Obama on to spite American Republicans, we’re left to wonder if Obama really has the ability to enact change like he promises. RFK was tragically assassinated during his run for the Oval Office while on campaign in California where he was promoting change.

Thurston Clarke takes a look back (and provides several excellent photos) at that momentous time in: The Last Good Campaign.