Resume/Cover letter Quesiton

I was wondering what you guys think of cover letters in the information age. I know you're always supposed to send a cover letter, but today most applications are done via email. I have been running into the problem of people telling me to "email them my resume." When I go to write the actual email I don't want it to be awkward so I type a small email message. The message is usually reiterated in my cover letter/resume that I've attached to the email. I was wondering if it would be professional to have the actual email "count" as the cover letter if you have the same basic information as you would in your cover letter and then attach the resume as a separate document. Any managers out there with insight? What to do the rest of you guys think?

Thanks,

-Mikey

"Athen's great experiment ended after less than two centuries, when, in 338 B.C., Philip of Macedon's forces invaded the city, inflicting on its inhabitants the eternal fate of the noble and enlightened: to be brutally crushed by the armed and dumb." -America (the book), A Citizen's guide to Democracy Inaction.