@DetergentDinners: That's very true. He's just kissing the netroot's backside right now - if (and that's a HUGE if) he gets in, I can think of thousands of more pressing matters - and I have no doubt he would, too.

bitfactory

I typically vote Republican (and probably will this time around if we have a less extreme right candidate... I haven't voted in the last two elections because I didn't care for what either party offered), but if Obama won, I wouldn't feel like it's cause to leave the country (unlike Clinton, whom I can't stand).

That said, I like the idea of using technology to make the inner workings of our democratic republic more open and available to the general public. I don't think it will happen, though, and I do think that some secrets do need to be kept. It's bad enough that we have CNN telling our enemies when/where we're about to commence bombing.

EvilJ

@DetergentDinners: At least he's raising the issue and recognizing that we're lagging behind in these areas. After seven years of no attention to data infrastructure, we need to start paying attention and catching up.

sumocat

@satan gave me a taco: A government bureaucrat installed in a CTO position, under any name, disguise or mission statement, would still have about the same relationship to technology as, say, Department of Education has to education - that is, none whatsoever.

Architeuthis

He's got my vote! He's the only realistic candidate there is ... everyone is brainwashed. Can you smell el el el el ... what the Obama is cooking?!

Earthslide

I didn't really care about the Presidential election until just now. Obama '08.

satan gave me a taco

Overkill.

That said, it's doubtful he'll live up to these promises if elected anyways. Not because he's a slimy politician, but because there are many more pressing matters at hand.

DetergentDinners

omg, i can't wait for all the public comments to be about Infbo on which pwrodzucts CIKALIS can prxodukce siggniuficannt Male Eonhanceemenzt and about how 9/10 of people agree that i should work on making my penis 3 inches longer and thicker so i can finally satisfy my womans.

itouchnipples

Ron Paul '08!

though I like this idea of having comments on legislature and such, will 5 days really be enough time to sift though troll comments, and lawyer talk? If anything, it'd be nice to have the people be a larger part of the goverment.

but, like was said before, there are plenty of other more pressing matters... like gettin the heck outta 'the war on terror'... fixing our horrendous economy, etc...

Zeitgeist - The Movie! Watch it!

clondike7

@EvilJ: That last sentence is so true, wtf r those news reporters thinking when they announce every militatry strike including specific details and hour before?

Im not american, but that open government thing is interesting.

tin

Obama '08 would be very nice.

halopower67

his last name so sounds like "osama" ow the irony

Amiash

Ohhhhhh, another bureaucrat. That'll fix things right up. I hope he starts having some meetings. Ohhh! Maybe he'll form a committee. Better yet! A blue-ribbon committee. Ahhh. Everything is coming up roses.

Also, what's with the Superman pic? He courting the super powered, alien Jew demographic?

smitty1123

"I promise to stop making promise after promise when I don't keep those promises... I promise."

Cormier6083

You know, all the people who say "oh, another bureaucrat/politician whatever," I haven't heard any possible solutions. There's one thing about being disenchanted, but there's something about actually having hope that things will change.

Anyways, I like all those ideas, especially the streaming government meetings (except, maybe, national security ones... even though I think matters of national security need to be more transparent, they don't need to be that transparent).

Obama is the only candidate so far that has even mentioned the "netroot." Lots of Ron Paul supporters are on the net, but he doesn't really know much about the netroot other than what he can wrap up in his already pervasive libertarian platform. Everyone else is probably in the same series of tubes that our boy Ted Stevens (R-eady to be indited on ethics charges) so proudly professes.

fuzzycuffs

im liking this guy more and more each day

AznSmith

Oh please - do any of you think that he is even remotely serious about doing this?

He's just pandering to the Google crowd - most of which is going to vote for him anyways.

"released a nine-page statement outlining his plan to improve technology"

and what technology, pray tell, needs to be "improved"? We've already got too much government bureaucracy impeding creation of new technology - and then when you get something interesting like a Napster, you get people like Orrin Hatch proposing to fry people's hard drives if they download music they haven't paid for.

The last thing any of us should want is government trying to "help" technology.

tidybowl

America's CTO: Larry Ellison. BUILD A PALACE FOR THE NEW CTO AND GET HIM SOME FRENCH WINE AND PROSTITUTES.

SchruteBuck

@bbfreak: Sadly, the people we "need" in power are the ones who don't want to be in power. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when most people wind up voting for someone because they think that the other candidate would be worse (but maybe that's just me).

smitty1123

Yeah, the "Mayor of 9/11" is a pretty screwy choice to me. I think it's hilarious that Pat Robertson endorsed him considering his "moral" background. I don't trust Hilary for a second. Romney should be water-boarded for saying he'd "double" Guantanamo. I'm wondering when the Republican candidates will stop jerking off to "24" and wake up. Take a look at this nut for example:

[teamtancredo.org]

Vote for me or you'll die! Yeah, right.

Although Obama doesn't exactly have my confidence, I'd vote for him in a second just for the transparency alone. Btw, transparency doesn't mean revealing bomb strike coordinates, people. It means accountability, which nobody seems to have these days, Republican or Democrat.

johnnyabnormal

Either way, I don't think we'll have a President who will be everything we need. Though that person not being Bush is a great first step, maybe.

bbfreak

The problem with Clinton is that she is too much like George Bush for the country, except a Democrat. Meh, stupid people. As for Giuliani, he's not much better than Hiliary in my opinion. That being said, the GOP needs someone to back and someone to back now or they're going to loose. If Giuliani is the best they can get, Hiliary is going to be our next President unless Obama really puts it in gear.

bbfreak

I'm sure that confidential information will be kept that way. I'm all for opening the doors a little more. Obama to me is refreshing. I can't stand Clinton and I wonder why the hell the GOP is considering running Giuliani when all he can say is 9-11 this and 9-11 that. It also be good to see an administration that actually gave a rat's ass about IT, so for now I'll back it.

rususeruru

Notes from Obama's Innovation Agenda presentation today at Google can be found at Valley Virgin: [valleyvirgin.blogspot.com]

dpm

Well I like the ideas, but whether he's just saying this because the current prez and vice prez have been so secretive and he wants to get elected...we'll have to see. After the Bush jr. years I wouldn't mind seeing him win it if he puts these plans into action. As far as the five day thing, I don't really think any persons emails are going to change things, that's more throwing a bone to us to be able to email in things, but it's going to get read by an intern and put away.
The only thing that's going to make a solid change is getting the corporate money limited or taken out of politics, so only private voters can contribute up to a limit. Then it takes the whole finance arms race down. The problem is the Republicans would fight that tooth and nail because corporations are the ones who finance their campaigns more so than the democrats (more so, dems still take a lot of money too).

Hello_Newman

Oops, Galaxy. slip of the tongue.

KG

Smitty1123: You're right about that. It's like in "The Complete Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Universe, the ruler of the universe turned out to be some old dude who took nothing at face value, and didn't even want or consider the position he was in (I really hope someone read that book, so I dont feel like a loser). Im just saing that 99.9% of the time the best leader isn't the one who advertises himself as one.

As for Obama, even if he doesn't follow through on his ideas, he at least had the sense to think of them. Many people tout health care reform (really.), christian ideals ( sep. of church and state anyone?) or the million different stategies in Iraq. His (or his aids') ideas at least sound original.

More importanltly, however, is how little a person's words or promises reflect thier actual ability. Im probably not going to vote in the '08 election because I don't see any of them fit to be president. Not to be cynical, but none of them really look like someome who would be able to be neutral in extremely partisan government, deal with a large portion of the world who hates our leadership (not really the actual people), promote the rapidly evolving technologies and sciences, or somehow fix social security and medicare. Solving all is impossible, but I don't believe that the candidates could solve any.

KG

Is that Superman statue also in Google HQ? Why do they have that?

mandarin

Though Obama has some sound ideas. How or why would any American vote for a president who refuses to say the pledge of allegiance?

tcgunner90