Election 2008 in HD

It's that time again. Time when the battle between red and blue isn't referring to HD DVD vs. Blu-ray, but red states vs. blue states, as John McCain takes on whoever steps out from the democratics. But this isn't a political blog, but this is a blog about technology.

Everyone knows (we hope) that in February, 2009, the big digital switch will take place. What everyone might not know is that John McCain was one of the main players in pushing the television industry out of its current bandwidth and into the digital world, freeing up the analog bandwidth for other uses, including emergency services.

The question is, have you seen the candidates in HD?

Now, the physical appearance of a candidate shouldn't really effect your vote, right? Do we want to be judged at how well we do our job based on how we look? But, you gotta agree, we all want someone who looks strong and vital as the leader of the free world.

Obama looks great no matter what screen you look at. Hillary in standard def is okay, but she might not be chosen as the next Cover Girl in HD - there's just so much makeup can do. The candidate who's suffering the most in high-def is the one who's responsible for it in the first place. Yup, John McCain. As the Web site Slate notes, In his 71-year-old, war and cancer-scarred glory, McCain is looking every bit his age, glaringly clear when shot and broadcast in HD.

Perhaps he should have waited until after his campaign to push HD on us. -Leslie Shapiro

Slate

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