I used to like Intel chairman Craig Barrett.

Now, as he prepares for his May exit from the job he's had for seven years, I love Craig Barrett. (Image from ComputerWorld's Heroes page.)

Steve Stroh thanked VNU for the news tip, and I hereby thank Steve. But in his final address to the Intel Developer Forum, Barrett basically went off on the FCC.

I wish I had been able to say this:

"I believe in the Hippocratic Oath for government: first do no harm. That means sorting out spectrum allocation, fostering R&D and creating an environment to let business function," he said.

"[WiMax] is the solution to the 'last mile' broadband issue. It will get us out of the half-assed broadband situation we're in today. 1 Mbps to 2 Mbps is not broadband; 50 Mbps is."

Tell it, brother Barrett. Amen. More on what this means after the jump.

Most corporate chieftains go fairly gently into that good night. They play golf, they travel, maybe they write a book defending themselves.

Barrett has no such plans. He was an educator before he came to Intel, and he has a keen interest in education still. And now he's got a second issue to excite him, one on which he seems quite angry with the current government.

In 2008 he'll only be 68. Reagan was older.

Barrett for President.