Will Media Buy Obama's 'My Thumbs Are Too Clumsy' To Twitter?

November 16th, 2009 4:49 PM

President Obama told Chinese students in Shanghai Sunday that he doesn't use the website Twitter because his "thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone."

Are media going to buy this (audio available here, h/t Steve Malzberg)?

After all, the press were almost as smitten with candidate Obama's Blackberry as he was.

Have they forgotten that he fought to keep it after he was elected?

In fact, on January 23, ABCNews.com reported that Obama won the Blackberry Battle:

Now that Barack Obama and his tech-savvy team have ascended to the White House, the more apt expression appears to be "Berry to the Chief."

Since winning the election, Obama has argued that he should be allowed to bring his BlackBerry to the Oval Office, despite national security concerns and a tradition of e-mail-free presidents.

On Thursday, he finally got to say, "I won the fight."

Although Obama will only be able to communicate with senior staff and a select group of personal friends, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed that officials had negotiated a secure way for the president to hold on to his precious device.

"He believes it's a way of keeping in touch with folks, a way of doing it outside of getting stuck in a bubble," Gibbs said at his first White House press briefing. [...]

In addition to the BlackBerry, experts expect Obama to use the Sectera Edge, a high-powered mobile communications device made by General Dynamics and approved by the National Security Agency.

"You could have a two-device scenario here," said Sascha Segan, lead analyst for mobile devices at PCMag Digital Network.

Obama could shoot off an offhand note to Malia with his BlackBerry and then pick up the Sectera to answer a call from Gen. David Petraeus, one of America's top military leaders, Segan told ABCNews.com.

Hmmm. So in January, Obama had the dexterity to "shoot off an offhand note to Malia with his BlackBerry," but in November his thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone.

Will media that were once fascinated by candidate Obama's love of his Blackberry take him to task for now claiming this?

Consider that a Google search of "Obama Blackberry" produced over 23 million results.

There are also 2.9 million images of Obama with his Blackberry at Google, including this one:

Thumbs don't look too clumsy to type in that picture, do they?

Somewhat comically, Obama's Blackberry is so important that someone even created a mock campaign picture of it:

And, in case you were interested, there are also 946 videos of Obama's Blackberry at Google including this one from the Associated Press:

Will Obama-loving media recall ANY OF THIS as they report his too clumsy to type in things on the phone comment?