Most Powerful Business Woman touts McCain on the Net

But although McCain admitted to TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington that he was computer illiterate, the Arizona senator has a big name making the case that he’s the right choice for the high-tech industry: former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina.

McCain knows the importance of technology to the economy and has an economic plan to encourage the type of innovation the industry thrives on, Fiorina said this morning in Washington, D.C. “That’s why I think he has been so consistently on the side of issues that impact our innovative capability,” she said. “He has consistently said we should make the R&D tax credit permanent…. He has consistently said we should ban permanently Internet taxation.”

Fiorina was touting McCain’s new economic program during a breakfast with journalists sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. She has become such an ardent and visible supporter of McCain that her name has appeared frequently on the list of McCain’s possible vice presidential choices. While that may be a long shot given her lack of government experience, others have talked up Fiorina as a potential Commerce secretary should McCain win the presidency.

Reporters couldn’t let Fiorina go without pressing her on the veep question …

… asking her if a business person who has never held elective office or a government post would be an appropriate choice to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. 

Fiorina showed that she’s getting the hang of the politics game. She artfully sidestepped the question of any future role for herself at the top of the Republican ticket (“John McCain’s going to have a lot of highly qualified people to choose from,” she said.) while at the same time making a subtle case for herself. Fiorina cited the governmental experience she has gained since leaving HP in 2005, including co-chairing a women’s initiative (PDF download) at the State Department and serving on the external advisory board for the Central Intelligence Agency.

As for the relationship between business and government, Fiorina said they’re closer than people think. She said:

I would certainly not consider myself an expert on government, but what I can tell you is that all aspects of the federal government reach out to business people…. Because there are some common elements in organizational challenges, there are some common elements in how you bring people together to make them more efficient and effective. And, yes, I think there are things that government can learn and borrow from business.