Will America get a tech-savvy president?

Instead of that 3 a.m. red phone moment, could the next president have a BlackBerry moment? Well, it depends. One thing is for sure, though; understanding the importance of technology to America's future must be high on the list of the next occupant of the White House.

As CIO.com points out, the next U.S. president could shape cybersecurity, government research initiatives, intellectual property laws, and wired and wireless communications services in ways that affect both enterprise IT executives and average citizens. Republican John McCain admittedly does not make use of technology devices, and lets his wife handle his computer task. Democrat Barack Obama, on the other hand, has appeared on video using a BlackBerry while walking down the street.

Both have technology policies aimed at spurring research and innovation. While a working knowledge of technology may not be essential, it will be crucial for the next president to hire key advisers who can understand and translate the important tech issues for him.

"To the extent that we think the Internet economy...is a major source of value-creating activity in the U.S. economy and a major source of social experience for lots of Americans, it seems to be really critical that the president understand what that's about," Steven Weber, a professor of political science at UC Berkeley, told CIO.com.

For more on IT and the presidency:
- check out this CIO.com article
- see the article Obama's tech policy