Obama's Blackberry

They say Obama may be "legally required" to surrender his Blackberry and stop using email when he is President

Throughout the campaign, Obama was often seen communicating to staff members via his BlackBerry, a convenience the president-elect may legally have to forgo, and one which he indicated he was negotiating to keep. [emphasis added]

For national security purposes, a president is limited in his electronic correspondences for fear of hacking. Additionally, presidential communications are strictly monitored and archived for historical purposes.

"One of the things that I'm going to have to work through is how to break through the isolation -- the bubble that exists around the president. I'm in the process of negotiating with the Secret Service, with lawyers, with White House staff ... to figure out how can I get information from outside of the 10 or 12 people who surround my office in the White House," he said.

Pish-tosh, says I. Electronic encryption is not that difficult. Obama should be able to keep on using email and his Blackberry. He should tell those lawyers to get lost. By what Constitutional authority do these guys have the power to control the President to the extent he must "negotiate" with them?

The Presidential Records Law came about after Watergate. Its intent was to make the records of the President the property of the government, so that the President could not destroy them at will.

But it's clear to me that the law is now being used to hamstring the President, keeping him from effectively performing his duties. I find it hard to believe a manager these days can get his job done without email. It's at least as essential as the telephone. Obama's ability to get his job done depends on his access to modern communication technologies.

Can a former President and Congress require all future Presidents to conduct all official correspondence in cuneiform using styli and clay tablets? Of course not. It would be an unconstitutional infringement on the power of the President. Requiring all future Presidents to conduct business without using email and wireless communication technology is, in the same way, an unconstitutional power grab by Congress. Obama should stand up and defend the Office of the President. He should use whatever technology he needs to carry out his Constitutional obligations while in office. That means email and wireless.