One of the starkest contrasts between John McCain and Barack Obama seems to be their levels of comfort with technology. Obama is regularly seen checking a PDA in between interviews, and many of his proposals for government reform focus on transparency through technology. He has even promised to have a Chief Technology Officer in his cabinet.

McCain, on the other hand, rarely uses a computer (some reports suggest he doesn't use one at all). He is already going to have problems convincing voters that he isn't too old and out of touch for the job, and his aversion (or unfamiliarity) with basic personal computing may just add to that perception.

Should it? The President of the United States obviously doesn't need to be overly tech savvy, but does it become a problem in this day and age when a candidate doesn't even use e-mail? I think so, but I'm already in Obama's corner and a swing voter may feel differently (or not care at all).

I suspect it would be easier to answer if the question were focused on a similar position in the private sector. How many corporations in this day and age would be willing to hire a CEO with no computer experience? I doubt it would be a deal breaker, but it's hard to believe that it wouldn't matter at all.