Internet leader Google prime stop for presidential hopefuls

Internet giant Google is becoming a prime stop on the 2008 presidential campaign as candidates seek to burnish themselves with net-wise credentials while fielding questions from some of the tech industry's most influential workers.
Five White House hopefuls from both Republican and Democratic parties have stopped by Google's Silicon Valley campus in recent months to face questions and endear themselves with voters in the country's most populous state.
The town hall-style forums, held in the Googleplex auditorium, most recently put Texas Republican Ron Paul in the hot seat where he was asked about tech policy, immigration, and even the federal student loan program. Paul called the Internet, where Google dominates the search and advertising business, "rather miraculous."
As a company Google has become more active politically and has invited all presidential candidates to swing through Mountain View south of San Francisco for what chief executive Eric Schmidt has called "a job interview with the American people." The visits are webcast on Google-owned YouTube, complete and unedited, viewable to millions of potential voters.
"We have invited prominent speakers to the campus for years," Adam Kovacevich, Google's Washington spokesperson told AFP. "This was just a natural extension." But the stop in Silicon Valley is new on the campaign path, whose familiar landmarks in the past have been Iowa pancake breakfasts and southern barbeques.
Stumping candidates are eager to cash in on Google's hip factor and show voters that they understand the power of the Internet and can communicate in a Web 2.0 world.
Google staff may come in shorts and flip-flops for the political appearances, but their casual workplace culture does not preclude pointed questions. Few other Silicon Valley workers have the perk of grilling politicians on the campaign trail.
In May, John McCain suffered through queries on his stance on homosexuals in the military. John Edwards stumbled through questions on e-commerce with China. Ron Paul's dismissal of global warming was followed by silence.
The politicians have also offered flattery to the assemblies. Hillary Clinton during her visit to the Googleplex in February called the company "the best place to work in America." McCain called them "the future of this nation."
Last month Google raised its level of political involvement when it launched a blog dedicated to the company's views on government, policy, and politics.