Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the Republican presidential candidate's economics guru, was being grilled about Mr McCain's qualifications for addressing the current crisis in the markets when he made the claim.

He cited the senator's experience and leadership of the US Senate Commerce Committee, saying it placed him at the intersection of a number of economic interests, including the telecommunications industry.

And when pressed on Mr McCain's achievements on the committee, Mr Holtz-Eakin pulled out his BlackBerry personal digital assistant and declared: "You're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create."

The 72-year-old candidate has acknowledged he does not know how to use a computer and cannot send emails, one of the BlackBerry's prime functions.

Some have dubbed the handheld wireless device the "crackberry" because of how some users apparently become addicted to non-stop communication via email and text message.

crakberry, how apt.

Actually McCain invented the internets.