Time Magazine published an article by Hugh Sidey called Savoring Victory, Family Style [ Time Magazine subscription required ]. It talks about George H.W. Bush's involvement and impressions of his son George W. Bush's re-election campaign.

To me, one of the most interesting passages in this article was Sidey's illustration of how much Bush the Elder travels, and what he takes with him:

Even while racing across the country to help raise funds for George W., the father kept his BlackBerry handy and touched hundreds of bases.

George H.W. Bush is 80 years old. My question after reading this passage was, how did he become a BlackBerry user, and how can I convince my father to become one?

The elder President Bush is a speaker in great demand for corporations throughout the world. I discovered that one of his speeches in 2003 was at the 3GSM World Conference in Cannes, France, where he could have met Jim Balsillie the co-CEO of Research in Motion as well as Cingular CEO Mark Feidler, now back at parent company BellSouth. Maybe they gave President Bush a BlackBerry then.

One of the most difficult things for me is to try to explain to people my father's age is that they are missing a lot of conversation that they would be part of if they were serious email users. My father spends very little time at home, just like many able-bodied retirees. I occasionally suggest to him that he consider getting a Blackberry and use it to correspond with me and other members of the family.

Maybe learning that President Bush the Elder is a Blackberry user would intrigue him enough to take a good look at a handheld like the Blackberry 7230.