Don't want to miss out on the latest in politics? Start each day with The Post Politics Hour. Join in each weekday morning at 11 a.m. as a member of The Washington Post's team of White House and Congressional reporters answers questions about the latest in buzz in Washington and The Post's coverage of political news.

Washington Post national political reporter Anne E. Kornblut was online Tuesday, June 17 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news in politics.

The transcript follows.

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Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

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Anne E. Kornblut: Hi everyone! Thanks for joining ... today I'm chatting with you from Taylor, Mich., where Obama is going to speak soon. Apologies in advance for any interruptions. Let's get started!

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Washington: Obama has been dogged by questions about his experience, as he only has about four years in the Senate and a half dozen more in the Illinois state legislature. Yet I don't recall questions about President Bush's inexperience when he first ran as the governor of Texas -- a position he held for a mere six years. Am I supposed to believe that his two extra years in statewide office completely mitigated those questions, especially when they came with little foreign policy dealings, which Obama certainly has sitting on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee?

Anne E. Kornblut: This is a good question. If I recall correctly, Bush actually did face a number of questions about his level of experience -- and countered them by reminding voters that a certain president named Bill Clinton had just as little foreign policy experience when he was elected. Bush also played up his concrete accomplishments as governor (such as education reform). But he did get a lot of criticism for it.

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Newark, N.J.: I've got Obama fatigue. I'm a big fan, but the never-ending primary was too much. By now, I bet even Obama is sick of Obama. How do you guys in the media keep it up?

Anne E. Kornblut: Thank you for your empathy! Actually, I'm just starting to cover Sen. Obama, after a little more than two years of covering Sen. Clinton, so it's all new and exciting for me. But I think everyone is looking forward to having a few weekends off this summer...

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Baltimore: I learned something incredibly scary yesterday. John McCain admitted he doesn't know how to use a computer. To my surprise, none of the mainstream media are reporting this. This is an incredibly scary thing in this day and age. If someone came into my workplace and applied for a job and didn't know how to use a computer, the job interview would end right there. How on earth can someone even be considered to be president without the knowledge of how to use a computer? I can't imagine that it isn't a job requirement of the president. I'm 26, and three of my grandparents are in their '80s. All three know how to use a computer. Age isn't an excuse here.

Anne E. Kornblut: Where did you see this? I hadn't heard it.

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Plainsboro, N.J.: In the vein of "if a tree falls and no one hears it, does it make a sound," if Al Gore endorses and no one cares, does he make a difference?

Anne E. Kornblut: Good point! I think that's one reason you saw this non-news news event take place in Michigan, one of only states that didn't get the joy of a primary campaign -- and where local news outlets were happy to report on it at length.

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Detroit: I think you guys at the Washington Post are the only ones impressed by Gore's endorsement. Talk about a profile in courage! He waits weeks after Hillary suspends her campaign to weigh in? Do you think Obama intentionally is staggering the big-name endorsements (Carter, Gore, etc.) for the free media? Why are these news? It would be news if Gore didn't endorse his party's nominee, but at this point isn't every Democrat except Lieberman endorsing Obama?

Anne E. Kornblut: I don't know if we're "impressed" (I thought we were jaded and cynical!) but it would have been news if Gore did not endorse Obama, don't you think? More to the point, there remains lively speculation about an Obama-Gore ticket, so their joint appearance was of interest. Of course you're right, though -- it was no surprise. The endorsement we all really are waiting to see is Bill Clinton's -- because of course he has not actually weighed in yet.

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Alexandria, Va.: Wasn't one of the reasons we got (shudder) Dick Cheney as vice president because the media relentlessly hammered Bush on his inexperience? Cheney picked himself because he's an old hand, if I'm remembering right.

Anne E. Kornblut: Yes, exactly, that was a central part of the logic at the time. Thanks for pointing that out!

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Wilmington, Del.: Are Virginia and North Carolina really swing states? Is it just the expectation of huge black voter turnout? Or is the world really changing?

Anne E. Kornblut: Great question. I don't know if we're officially calling them swing states, but they are up there on my personal lists of places to watch. Both have produced interesting statewide Democratic officials recently; both have large African American populations. Add them together and you see Obama potentially having a real shot.

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Miami: Anne, I love that smile in your photo! My question: Why no bounce for Obama? McCain has been the forgotten man for months now, and Obama has soaked up days of new endorsements since Hillary dropped out. Why aren't we seeing it reflected in the polls? Doesn't anyone listen to Al Gore anymore?

washingtonpost.com: Gore Gives Backing to Obama (Post, June 17)

Anne E. Kornblut: That's a really interesting question, and I have to confess that I have no idea why it's the case. But I have asked our polling director, Jon Cohen, who says that we might be erring in expecting a post-nomination bounce -- that traditionally bounces have come around convention time instead. Other thoughts: Is it maybe because the electorate assumed Obama would win in the end? Or a reflection of some disenchanted Clinton voters? Thank you for being thought-provoking.

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Bremerton, Wash.: Ann, after following the Clinton campaign for so long, did the new poll numbers where Hispanics and former Clinton supporters are breaking for Obama seem to surprise you? Also, did Hillary Clinton ever get close to apologizing for her 2002 vote to authorize Bush to invade Iraq?

Anne E. Kornblut: I won't be at all surprised to see Clinton supporters move toward Obama -- or not. I think there are people in her universe with a wide array of feelings right now. I'm better equipped to answer your second question, by simply saying "no."

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John McCain admitted he doesn't know how to use a computer. : And why exactly is this scary, if it is accurate? Prior to being elected, it was reported that Bush was good at using e-mail. Did this prove to be a good barometer for presidential ability?

Anne E. Kornblut: Another observation...

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Seattle: Great to have you chatting with us, Ann. How are the former staff members of the Clinton Campaign getting along with the Obama staffers? Is it genuinely warm, or as cold as ice?

Anne E. Kornblut: Well, many Clinton staffers have taken some time off or are still at her headquarters, which will take some time to close down. A number of Clinton people were longtime friends with certain Obama staffers, and it seems like their friendships have endured. From what I can tell, their fundraising teams also are meshing just fine. But there is no question that there are still hard feelings on both sides, and we'll see who from the real Clinton inner circle -- if anyone -- Obama winds up hiring.

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Evidently, not inside the Beltway enough: When Obama chose Solis Doyle to run the vice presidential staff, did you immediately know this was a "slap in the face" to Hillary Clinton (in the words of some of her supporters) and that it meant Clinton wasn't in the running for vice president? My first impression was the opposite -- that it was an overture to Clinton's supporters and meant Clinton was being considered. Just how inside the Beltway do you have to be to understand these things?

washingtonpost.com: The Trail: Clinton Insiders Take Umbrage at Solis Doyle Move (Post, June 16)

Anne E. Kornblut: Thank you for this question! I am not sure it requires being inside the Beltway -- it merely requires having a Ph.D. in Clintonology, which I honorarily have bestowed upon myself. It's true that from the outside it looks like an olive branch -- Solis Doyle worked for Clinton forever, and once was considered the consummate loyalist. But she was fired pretty unceremoniously in the middle of the primaries (and here's where the advanced degree in Clinton studies comes in), in part for her handling of the campaign finances, and Clinton herself is reportedly quite angry at her. They are no longer really on speaking terms.

Here's an example of why the Clinton insiders are mad at her, one of them told me: Solis Doyle sent out her "new contact information" to her colleagues in the middle of one of the Clinton-Obama primary debates, which really struck some Clinton insiders as harsh (now there is a level of Washington detail I bet you didn't want to know, right?). So in other words, there is absolutely no reason for you to have recognized the double meaning in this move. That's what I'm here for.

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Anonymous: Do you get the impression that some of Hillary's spokespeople protest too much over the Obama hiring of Solis-Doyle? And wouldn't Gwen Ifill be the best replacement for the late, great Tim Russert?

Anne E. Kornblut: I'm not sure on the first question, but on the second, Gwen Ifill is absolutely amazing. I have no idea who is being considered -- I'm sure it will take a long time -- but I hope she'd be on the list.

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McCain's computer knowledge: While agree that being computer-savvy is not on the top of the list of presidential requirements, it does go to something else for me. We are a technological society/world. He doesn't know it or get it. It's like hearing a U.S. senator describe the Internet as a "series of tubes." That he doesn't "do" economics either ... I mean, he starts to come off as very uninformed other than issues of war and torture.

Anne E. Kornblut: And another. ... Thank you!

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Washington: Can you please link to the poll results from the Washington Post/ABC poll? Thanks!

washingtonpost.com: Poll Finds Independent Voters Split Between McCain, Obama | Poll Data (washingtonpost.com, June 17)

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Tampa, Fla.: Anne, I'm completely baffled by the Obama campaign naming Patti Solis Doyle to chief of staff for veep. Does this mean Clinton has it in the bag? Or that she's definitely scratched? And if the latter, wouldn't the veep want to name their own chief of staff and not a former Clintonite? Finally, couldn't the Obama campaign have named Solis Doyle to some other position -- any other position -- and avoided this kind of speculation? It's just weird.

Anne E. Kornblut: My interpretation of this move is that it does, in fact, mean that Clinton is probably not high on the potential veep list -- if she is there at all. Solis Doyle and Clinton are at odds now; the Obama folks surely know that. As for the kind of power a vice presidential pick would have over his or her own staff, I assume that there will be some flexibility, but you're right -- they'd better hope the nominee and Patti get along!

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Bellingham, Wash.: Anne, posting really early (like yesterday) from the left coast. ... A comment about your Susie Tompkins Buell "it's a slap in the face!" quote on Obama picking Patti Solis Doyle as future vice presidential candidate's chief of staff: First, as a life-long Democrat I wish I could tell Ms. Tompkins Buell where she could put her money and "support." She is more than welcome aboard, but her candidate lost, and this time around we don't need her or her friends or her money.

Second, it was just this sort of martial language that drove millions of Democrats away from Hillary Clinton in the first place. All those boxing gloves and the "Rocky" theme and the "now the fun part begins" really turned me off. Americans are tired of the constant fighting and bickering and voted accordingly. I think Clinton and her friends really missed the cultural moment here, and they obviously still don't get it. If there is a question, it is just how many of the Democratic rank-and-file you see following Ms. Tompkins Buell off a cliff this November. by the way, thanks for all the hard work over the past more-than-a-dozen months!

Anne E. Kornblut: Thank you for these thoughts (and for getting up so early to send them in -- extra points!). I think this may all be part of the "sorting out" process now that the nomination fight is over and everyone (or more accurately the Clinton people) adjust to the new landscape, but I suspect this is a conversation taking place between Clinton and Obama people all over the country. Thanks for the input.

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Buffalo, N.Y.: I've always been proud to be from the same city as Tim Russert. Do many other reporters come from such hardscrabble, working-class backgrounds? I always felt that Russert's blue-collar attitude gave him a leg up on other reporters.

Anne E. Kornblut: One of the nice things about this business is that people seem to come from all over -- it's a real meritocracy, and few of us have advanced degrees. Another Buffalo native, if you're interested, is Susan Milligan of the Boston Globe.

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Franconia, Va.: So the largely male senior staffers from the Clinton campaign (Mark Penn et al) have concluded that it was a female senior staffer -- the one who lacked the political skills to defend herself and got fired -- who is the reason that Clinton is not the nominee. It was all that woman's fault, evidently; they are just the innocent victims. Am I the only female professional who is seeing an all-too-familiar pattern here? Maybe I did the Clintonites an injustice, and "sexism" is part of their unfolding story after all.

Anne E. Kornblut: A really interesting point, and one I have heard made internally from Solis Doyle's supporters. Thanks for making it here.

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McCain is Computer illiterate: This video looks like it was done by Mike Allen from Politico. It includes McCain, Romney, Huckabee and Ron Paul being asked whether they use Mac or PC. McCain says he's computer illiterate and relies on his wife. I think he better get himself a "PC for Dummies" book quick.

Anne E. Kornblut: Okay, let's check this out.

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Silver Spring, Md.: If this McCain story is true, who cares? When exactly has John McCain been required to use a computer? And since when is computer knowledge a prerequisite for the presidency. Obama doesn't even have experience at the federal level (sorry, four years in the Senate where two of those years were spent running for president doesn't count) and we're worried that McCain doesn't use a computer?

Anne E. Kornblut: And another...

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Rockville, Md.: It is a matter of details. Pilots have got to understand technology and even computers (as users not operators) to get by. He knows technology as a senator and as a pilot and really that is "good enough." Remember, President Carter was an engineer.

Anne E. Kornblut: And another!

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Bel Air, Md.: How does it feel to not have Hillary Clinton to kick around any more?

Anne E. Kornblut: To be honest, it has been a really strange adjustment. A lot of reporters who covered her, myself included, keep asking the campaign when she is going to re-emerge -- covering her became such a constant part of our lives. I do know that it was a real honor to watch her run from start to finish, and I'm looking forward to seeing and covering whatever she does next, because if there is anyone I am confident will have another newsworthy chapter, it is her.

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Baltimore: Obama touts himself as the candidate of change, so why the talk of a Obama/Gore ticket? What positives could come from such an alliance?

Anne E. Kornblut: Okay, so the caveat here is that we are in the realm of wild speculation, right? But as long as you know that: The advantages would be that Gore is a national hero to many; he'd only be the veep, so they could still argue change, plus his whole environmental message is about change; and he'd bring gravitas. I'm not saying it will happen, but that's the logic.

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Fairfax County, Va.: I savored every minute of Al Gore's speech last night ("dream ticket" is a great label for either Obama-Gore or Obama-Edwards as far as I am concerned, for different reasons). But I came away with a new perception of Gore's potential role here. I don't think he's likely to be a vice presidential nominee, given his existing role outside of politics, but for the duration of the campaign he came across to me very much like a Ted Kennedy -- a very popular, familiar, senior leader of the party strongly embracing Obama's candidacy and making joint appearances with him. I am sure Sen. Kennedy will campaign for Obama if he can, which will be great, but I would assume it's likely he can't handle the schedule this summer that they probably had envisioned. Do you see Al Gore as taking up some of that role for Sen. Kennedy?

Anne E. Kornblut: I hadn't thought of it in precisely those terms, but there's no question that Gore has moved well into the elder statesman role. It was a fascinating speech to watch, wasn't it?

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Fairfax, Va.: You seem to intentionally avoid writing about the stances Obama and McCain take, and I was wondering why, as so few of your articles go into issues in any depth or even at all. Do you think we the electorate only are interested in who is leading at any point in time as opposed to, for example, what McCain's position is on the bill to tax oil company windfall profits and limit speculation that drives up oil prices?

Anne E. Kornblut: Well, I've only written one article so far on Obama (I started on this new beat yesterday) so hopefully you will give me some time to work on my batting average. But you have identified a common conundrum. We actually do, in fact, try to write as many substantive pieces as we can -- and the candidates are all too eager to have us cover policy as opposed to process. But the traffic on the Web is often driven by snazzier stories (about politics) and I can tell you those are so often the ones I hear about from readers. But thank you for your encouragement.

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Anonymous: Sen. Reid was asked how he would feel if Sen. Clinton were the next Majority leader. Reid appeared somewhat perturbed by the question. My instincts tell me Sens. Reid, Durbin and Schumer will be the losers of Clinton's power with her 18 million votes, and Clinton will leapfrog to the majority leader job. Pelosi as Speaker, Hillary as majority leader and Obama as president truly would display a big-tent party.

Anne E. Kornblut: That's interesting ... comments, anyone?

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Washington: Anne, has a candidate ever taken a portion of his/her campaign funds and donated it to a relief effort (like the Midwest flooding, for example)? It seems like it would generate the kind of positive publicity that you just can't get from the standard advertisement barrage. In fact, I really can't see any downside at all -- even the donors probably would be happy if it helped their candidate win!

Anne E. Kornblut: I actually don't know the answer -- or even if it's legal under FEC regulations -- but I'm going to post this and see if any of the campaigns take you up on the idea. Thank you...

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Toronto: It would be appreciated if you would talk about the possibility of a coattail affect next November. By this I mean either that Democrats doing so well in the congressional elections that it helps Obama, or McCain that becomes president and helps the Republicans do better in the elections. Or is it possible that the two are separated so much in people's minds that the coattail affect no longer applies?

Anne E. Kornblut: I don't know the answer yet -- I think it's a little to early in the season to really tell -- but the Democratic Party feels confident that Obama can help in some House races because of his appeal to Iidependents. Projecting beyond that -- to, what, the 2010 midterms? Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

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Washington: Any speculation on Gen. Wesley Clark for vice president? He has the resume and experience, and as I understand it was in the Clinton camp.

Anne E. Kornblut: His name has been on short lists for awhile, but I haven't heard anything concrete. He was definitely in the Clinton camp, and has the foreign policy credentials, as you suggest. One downside is that his own presidential campaign didn't get very far off the ground, and the Obama folks might want someone who brings a more obvious political network (think Ed Rendell). Thanks for the question!

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Virginia and North Carolina Swing States?: Wilmington should check out realclearpolitics.com for latest state polling data. McCain's average lead in North Carolina is only five points. In Virginia, only one point. Yes, Virginia, you are a swing state.

Anne E. Kornblut: Great line, thank you.

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Michigan: Hi Anne -- thanks for taking my question. I have been reading that Obama strategist, David Plouffe is stating that Sen. Obama can win without either Florida or Ohio. Why would such statements make any sense? Alienating either state, particularly Ohio, cannot help Obama's chances, even if polls show him currently behind. I would think they would be putting the "hard press" on Ohio, showing how Democratic policies would greatly benefit the state's financial future.

Anne E. Kornblut: I think, if I read the remarks correctly, that the Obama campaign believes they can win without those states -- not that they want to win without them. I expect we'll see Obama visiting both fairly soon, in fact...

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Washington: It doesn't matter that familiarity with computers never before has been a prerequisite for the presidency. Familiarity with TV media and how it affects people's decisions was never a prerequisite before the '60s. The world changes.

Anne E. Kornblut: And another thought...

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McCain doesn't use a computer: I'm a fervent Democrat, and don't care about this. If I recall, Clinton couldn't figure out the White House e-mail system.

Anne E. Kornblut: And another! Here's one more data point: Clinton and subsequently Bush staffers avoided e-mail on some occasions because they did not want anything to be subpoena-able. More old media...

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Kensington, Md.: A twofer question if you will, Anne. First, in your article on the Gore endorsement, you said that it "renewed speculation that they might share a ticket." Could you be more specific about who is speculating that? Anything more than the same predictable typical bystander chatter we heard after Richardson and Edwards came out for him? It seems like it would a step down for Gore, and a step backward in time for the future-focused Obama. And on the Solis-Doyle hiring, as someone who greatly has admired Obama for his deft political hand, it strikes me as a bit of an oafish move in this time of trying to soothe the bruised egos of the Clinton folks. Or was this a necessary step to set the stage for a non-Hillary veep choice?

Anne E. Kornblut: Well, I am speculating it, for one. But I can't claim credit for the idea -- it came from the band of Democratic operative-types whom I talk to on a regular basis, and who sometimes know specific things and other times have really good instincts. Which is to say it's only marginally more real than the speculation about Edwards and Richardson. No one but Obama knows who is really on his short list, and he has been pretty clear that they're not going to go around leaking names. As for Solis Doyle, I'm not really sure what the full logic was; it may have been, as you suggest, to prepare Clinton people for the eventual reality that she is not getting picked. I just don't know.

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Arlington, Va.: Wolf Blitzer is also from Buffalo.

Anne E. Kornblut: Thank you! I didn't know that.

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Washington: I am generally not a partisan person, but give me a break on the fear-mongering from the environmental movement. How on earth did drilling for oil become to be viewed as an evil thing? Eighty percent of our oil reserves in this country are untapped. We can't drill on one-half of one-percent in Alaska, we can't drill offshore even though nations like Sweden and Denmark do it.

We can't make our own energy, but we can ask other nations to drill for more. Sooner or later Americans are going to wake up and realize we have been brainwashed and lied to by the environmentalists. We need to start using our own energy and stop buying it from the worst people on earth, who then use the money to kill us. It's sick. Obama needs to stand up to the liberal environmental special interest groups, the way McCain has the conservative ones, or else he will lose.

Anne E. Kornblut: Thank you for this perspective.

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Sen. Clinton as Senate Leader: I thought the Senate Leader was selected by the other senators in their party, not 18 million voters spread throughout the country. Is a senator liable to lose her/his seat because they don't vote for Sen. Clinton for an internal party position?

Anne E. Kornblut: A good point...

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Fairfax, Va.: Gwen Ifill "absolutely amazing"! Yes if you want to keep America uninformed about the corporate crimes washing over our country. I would much rather see Bill Moyers in Tim Russert's slot at "Meet the Press" or anyone of Moyers's caliber who would not see America through the eyes of the powerful but would instead allow or encourage alternative and competing narratives to emerge and be seen and heard by the electorate.

Anne E. Kornblut: And another view...

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Helena, Mont.: I have been mulling this for awhile, and Wesley Clark on CNN just pointed it out recently: Why is McCain seen as so strong on national security? I mean, he was in the military and was prisoner of war, but that by itself doesn't make a person strong on national security. Is it because he's a Republican? Because he served on the Armed Services committee (but never as chairman)? What are his bona fides on national security (and foreign policy, for that matter)?

Anne E. Kornblut: I don't have a good answer, but I'm just going to go ahead and post this interesting question.

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Washington: Why computers matter. Maybe McCain's use of a PC isn't that important, but what is would be his understanding of the role and power that personal computers now play in most aspects of everyday life. Heck, my 82-year-old mother uses one. It's as if Harding or Cox said in 1920: "Them new fangled horseless carriages? Don't have any use for them..."

That's why it is important. So long as the U.S. is a leader in computers and computer technologies, we've a chance to compete in a world where we quickly are losing position. If we lose it, we potentially become a technology backwater. McCain knowing even simple uses of the computer would have a better understanding of the power of the device ... also, possibly a better understanding of how the Obama people so effectively used the Internet to win ... and how the Internet (like YouTube) can make him look like a fool, with people making their own commercials with quick juxtapositions and putting 3-year-old statements up against what he's saying today ... and how those get circulated and passed along ... so there.

Anne E. Kornblut: Another point of view, thank you!

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Baltimore: I know about 10 swing states still are swinging, but are there any blue states that might swing back to McCain? Pennsylvania maybe? Given Obama's advantages (money, media adoration), doesn't McCain need to structure a very specifically-targeted Electoral College strategy rather than running a national race? Obama has the money and free press to run nationally, but that was Hillary's mistake in the primary. Why not let Obama repeat the mistake while McCain solely focuses on swing states and those with a narrow Democratic edge? If McCain has to win this through the national media, he's toast.

Anne E. Kornblut: And another good observation

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Anne E. Kornblut: It looks like Sen. Obama is just arriving here at this event in Taylor, Mich., so I'm going to run. Thank you all for joining today! See you all very soon.

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