(FORTUNE Magazine) – Direct-to-consumer is all the rage in the e-business world. But what happens when presidential candidates bypass traditional channels and take their products (or lack thereof) directly to consumers on the Internet? You know the old saying: All politics are local. Well, for cyber-pundits, it can't get any more local then a computer screen. What follows are short critiques of the four main candidates' Websites.

AL GORE. Al invented the Internet, but he may want to talk to some folks who work there every day, because his site is as dull as his personality. Al (I'm on a first-name basis with the candidates now; this is the Internet, after all) brings a lot of political baggage with him, and it shows. Don't try to give any money at this site if you're a Chinese national; the contribution page underscores the fact that Al will (no longer) take your money unless you have permanent-resident status in the U.S. He has more fluff on his Website than any other candidate--lots of family pictures and a subsection devoted almost entirely to photos of Tipper on the campaign trail. I know she'll have a lot of influence on you, Al. But can't you tell me more than which side of her face is most photogenic?

BILL BRADLEY. Bill came out of the gate early with strong online fundraising, but his success was short-lived even by Internet standards. Although he updated his content more frequently than the other guys during the two weeks I evaluated the sites, he was pretty short on information specific to local constituents. For example, there was plenty of stuff about how to join Team Bradley in my area, as well as plenty of congratulatory messages about the organizing efforts. But I couldn't find anything about the candidate's thoughts on local issues. Bill is not an in-your-face kind of guy, and neither is his Website. I was impressed with the subtlety of his fundraising message. There were no pop-up pleas for dollars, nor was "making a donation" even a button on the primary left-hand navigation bar.

GEORGE W. BUSH. George proves that money counts on the Internet. Like Amazon.com--the 800-pound cybergorilla--he has put his financial might into some cool bells and whistles. Right from the get-go he asked me to take an interactive tour of his tax-cut proposal; his site determined that, in my current financial situation, I would save at least $3,000 if his proposal were enacted. Of course, George then solicited a small contribution to help ensure his election--and my tax break. That's slicker than Texas tea, in my book.

JOHN MCCAIN. John, you are my hero. But why the heck can't you get your virtual act together? This Website had the personality most divergent from its patron's. The iconography used to direct visitors was confusing and changed from page to page. John deserves credit for his pure e-commerce play, but when I tried to get a closer look at the T-shirt I was interested in buying, the link was broken. There is also tremendous risk of abusing some of the site's interactive applications. Ten minutes of playing is all it took me to write a script using the site's applications to continuously spam a few e-mail addresses I had set up. Yuck. So, John, here's my free advice: Take a more active roll in representing yourself on the Net. Don't leave it all up to your spinmeisters.

George, John, Al, and Bill probably think I'm a tough grader. But they don't know grade inflation when they see it; if I were comparing their sites with other information portals instead of with one another, I would have failed them all. Technology has moved at light speed in the e-world, and the second-oldest profession hasn't kept up. I don't want to read professionally spun position papers; I want to know how those positions affect me and why they're better than the other guys' positions. Not one candidate had the pluck to invite unfiltered real-time comments on his ideas. Imagine the traffic draw if voters could review a politician's platform, much as Amazon customers review books.

None of the sites gave me the thrill of being at campaign headquarters. I couldn't catch the sense of purpose, the electricity in the air, or the excitement of being with people on a mission. I had the feeling of visiting a sterile corporate site, circa 1996. For now, I think I'll get my political news the old-fashioned way. But just wait a few years. Given how fast the Internet is changing, I wouldn't be surprised if it helped decide the 2004 election.