Should Obama Be Allowed to Keep His BlackBerry?

Give him a tablet pc instead. more power and function plus then he can get an iphone or at least an ipod touch

The BlackBerry is the only mobile device he should be allowed to have. If they're worried about triangulation, have the Secret Service have cloned ones that can travel with decoys or such. I'm sure the email account that goes to it won't be publicly known (like, I'm sure, is also true with his current one.) You need a device that can be remote wiped if lost, and that has device-level encryption as well as end-to-end. They'll also need to be careful about document classification on it, but that's all doable, and lets the guy check the sports scores and keep up to date on things.

It might help if the headline question wasn't the negative of the poll question. We're fast clickers 'round these parts. HL: "Should Obama Give Up His BlackBerry?" Poll: "Should Obama Be Allowed to Keep His BlackBerry? "

one would think that the pentagon could design and implement a blackberry that is completely secure. i mean, c'mon, guys!!

I agree with John, I was clickhappy and chose the wrong one.

Should he be *allowed* to use his Blackberry? Ummm... where do we live now Communist China or Nazi Germany? I don't know what is the matter with people thinking we can violate his constitutional property rights and steal his personal property. And right now a third of people actually love Nazi fascism... great going jerks. What kind of question is this!? Shameful!

@John:iphone or at least an ipod touch What is he, 14? iPhones are for 14 year olds, blackberries are for grownups. Furthermore, if they are worried about security, it would be with a Blackberry and BES any day more than an iPhone. BES has so many more security policies.

@jamesR No we live in the United States. The president works for us (the people) and as his employers we make up the rules for his job. Also there are safety and national security concerns (which I think can be dealt with but that's a different topic) the point, to allay your fears, is that no one is violating his rights. We're just making work place rules for our employee. Isn't it nice to know the president has the same jerk of a boss you do? :D

It's not a question of whether he should be allowed to keep it or not. The reality is, he shouldn't need it anymore. The purpose of a blackberry is to help keep a person organized and in touch. President Obama will have a staff that will keep him more organized than just about anyone in the world. I want him to have whatever he needs to do the job to the best of his ability, and that should be his choice. But, I think he'll find that he doesn't need the blackberry nearly as much as he did when he wasn't president.

James R. -- Godwin's Law. You Loose.

Of course he should give it up. There are many reasons a President's communications are monitored, the FOIA not withstanding. While Obama thinks he is some messiah, he is just a rather ordinary President elect. Maybe even less. He works for us, not for his own self aggrandizement. I know he is a giant egomaniac with all of his over bull$hit, but the fact is, until he gets beat in 2012, he no longer has a private life. None. Now he should have known this when he took the job. And if the rules don't work for him, I know about 60 million Americans who would have absolutely no problem if he had a change of heart and moved back to Chicago. But this question is silly. He has to do what protocol requires.