Carly Fiorina at Web 2.0 in San Francisco Talks About Breast Cancer, Government Tech Policy and Her Possible Run for California U.S. Senate

It was a very different Carly Fiorina who took the stage at the Web 2.0 Summit dinner tonight to discuss her potential run for the U.S. Senate.

Just as it was typical when she was the first female chief executive of Hewlett Packard, part of the conversation with Web 2.0 co-host John Battelle covered her appearance. But in this case it was relevant in the discussion about her political reviews.

Fiorina’s hair was a mix of dark brown and gray and it looked as if it had been recently shaved. She said that her close-shorn look was a result of her eight-month battle with breast cancer.

“I have seen the best and the worst of our healthcare system,” she said, with her voice shaking slightly with the emotional moment that focused on her own health. But she told the audience at the dinner that she was healthy. She was there to talk about her possible bid as a Republican candidate to take on Democrat Barbara Boxer. Fiorina didn’t outright declare her candidacy, but she said she was exploring the idea.

What was the most interesting during her talk last night was the angst on Twitter from left-wing tech folks bemoaning a possible Fiorina candidacy. There were not many of these folks and after all it was San Francisco.

Also, interesting was GOP California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore pathetically re-tweeting negative comments about Fiorina. I mean doesn’t DeVore who will possibly oppose Fiorina in a contested Republican Party primary election in June 2010 have anything better to do than be pathetic. How about fundraising, where DeVore has been an abysmal failure? Or criticizing the vulnerable, incumbent, Democrat U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer?

But, whatever. Carly Fiorina is tough enough to withstand the LEFT and RIGHT.

The question is: Will Fiorina be able to WIN?