Posts with the tag editorial page endorsements

New York Times' Endorsement of Barack Obama

Sheldon from Doylestown — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:47:41 EDT

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/opinion/24fri1.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all

Editorial

Barack Obama for President

Published: October 23, 2008

Hyperbole is the currency of presidential campaigns, but this year the nation's future truly hangs in the balance.
The United States is battered and drifting after eight years of President Bush's failed leadership. He is saddling his successor with two wars, a scarred global image and a government systematically stripped of its ability to protect and help its citizens — whether they are fleeing a hurricane's floodwaters, searching for affordable health care or struggling to hold on to their homes, jobs, savings and pensions in the midst of a financial crisis that was foretold and preventable.
As tough as the times are, the selection of a new president is easy. After nearly two years of a grueling and ugly campaign, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has proved that he is the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States.
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Mr. Obama has met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change. He has shown a cool head and sound judgment. We believe he has the will and the ability to forge the broad political consensus that is essential to finding solutions to this nation's problems.
In the same time, Senator John McCain of Arizona has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism. His policies and worldview are mired in the past. His choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress.
Given the particularly ugly nature of Mr. McCain's campaign, the urge to choose on the basis of raw emotion is strong. But there is a greater value in looking closely at the facts of life in America today and at the prescriptions the candidates offer. The differences are profound.
Mr. McCain offers more of the Republican every-man-for-himself ideology, now lying in shards on Wall Street and in Americans' bank accounts. Mr. Obama has another vision of government's role and responsibilities.
In his convention speech in Denver, Mr. Obama said, "Government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology."
Since the financial crisis, he has correctly identified the abject failure of government regulation that has brought the markets to the brink of collapse.
The Economy
The American financial system is the victim of decades of Republican deregulatory and anti-tax policies. Those ideas have been proved wrong at an unfathomable price, but Mr. McCain — a self-proclaimed "foot soldier in the Reagan revolution" — is still a believer.
Mr. Obama sees that far-reaching reforms will be needed to protect Americans and American business.
Mr. McCain talks about reform a lot, but his vision is pinched. His answer to any economic question is to eliminate pork-barrel spending — about $18 billion in a $3 trillion budget — cut taxes and wait for unfettered markets to solve the problem.
Mr. Obama is clear that the nation's tax structure must be changed to make it fairer. That means the well-off Americans who have benefited disproportionately from Mr. Bush's tax cuts will have to pay some more. Working Americans, who have seen their standard of living fall and their children's options narrow, will benefit. Mr. Obama wants to raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation, restore a climate in which workers are able to organize unions if they wish and expand educational opportunities.
Mr. McCain, who once opposed President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy as fiscally irresponsible, now wants to make them permanent. And while he talks about keeping taxes low for everyone, his proposed cuts would overwhelmingly benefit the top 1 percent of Americans while digging the country into a deeper fiscal hole.
National Security
The American military — its people and equipment — is dangerously overstretched. Mr. Bush has neglected the necessary war in Afghanistan, which now threatens to spiral into defeat. The unnecessary and staggeringly costly war in Iraq must be ended as quickly and responsibly as possible.
While Iraq's leaders insist on a swift drawdown of American troops and a deadline for the end of the occupation, Mr. McCain is still taking about some ill-defined "victory." As a result, he has offered no real plan for extracting American troops and limiting any further damage to Iraq and its neighbors.
Mr. Obama was an early and thoughtful opponent of the war in Iraq, and he has presented a military and diplomatic plan for withdrawing American forces. Mr. Obama also has correctly warned that until the Pentagon starts pulling troops out of Iraq, there will not be enough troops to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, has only belatedly focused on Afghanistan's dangerous unraveling and the threat that neighboring Pakistan may quickly follow.
Mr. Obama would have a learning curve on foreign affairs, but he has already showed sounder judgment than his opponent on these critical issues. His choice of Senator Joseph Biden — who has deep foreign-policy expertise — as his running mate is another sign of that sound judgment. Mr. McCain's long interest in foreign policy and the many dangers this country now faces make his choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska more irresponsible.
Both presidential candidates talk about strengthening alliances in Europe and Asia, including NATO, and strongly support Israel. Both candidates talk about repairing America's image in the world. But it seems clear to us that Mr. Obama is far more likely to do that — and not just because the first black president would present a new American face to the world.
Mr. Obama wants to reform the United Nations, while Mr. McCain wants to create a new entity, the League of Democracies — a move that would incite even fiercer anti-American furies around the world.
Unfortunately, Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, sees the world as divided into friends (like Georgia) and adversaries (like Russia). He proposed kicking Russia out of the Group of 8 industrialized nations even before the invasion of Georgia. We have no sympathy for Moscow's bullying, but we also have no desire to replay the cold war. The United States must find a way to constrain the Russians' worst impulses, while preserving the ability to work with them on arms control and other vital initiatives.
Both candidates talk tough on terrorism, and neither has ruled out military action to end Iran's nuclear weapons program. But Mr. Obama has called for a serious effort to try to wean Tehran from its nuclear ambitions with more credible diplomatic overtures and tougher sanctions. Mr. McCain's willingness to joke about bombing Iran was frightening.
The Constitution and the Rule of Law
Under Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the justice system and the separation of powers have come under relentless attack. Mr. Bush chose to exploit the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, the moment in which he looked like the president of a unified nation, to try to place himself above the law.
Mr. Bush has arrogated the power to imprison men without charges and browbeat Congress into granting an unfettered authority to spy on Americans. He has created untold numbers of "black" programs, including secret prisons and outsourced torture. The president has issued hundreds, if not thousands, of secret orders. We fear it will take years of forensic research to discover how many basic rights have been violated.
Both candidates have renounced torture and are committed to closing the prison camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
But Mr. Obama has gone beyond that, promising to identify and correct Mr. Bush's attacks on the democratic system. Mr. McCain has been silent on the subject.
Mr. McCain improved protections for detainees. But then he helped the White House push through the appalling Military Commissions Act of 2006, which denied detainees the right to a hearing in a real court and put Washington in conflict with the Geneva Conventions, greatly increasing the risk to American troops.
The next president will have the chance to appoint one or more justices to a Supreme Court that is on the brink of being dominated by a radical right wing. Mr. Obama may appoint less liberal judges than some of his followers might like, but Mr. McCain is certain to pick rigid ideologues. He has said he would never appoint a judge who believes in women's reproductive rights.
The Candidates
It will be an enormous challenge just to get the nation back to where it was before Mr. Bush, to begin to mend its image in the world and to restore its self-confidence and its self-respect. Doing all of that, and leading America forward, will require strength of will, character and intellect, sober judgment and a cool, steady hand.
Mr. Obama has those qualities in abundance. Watching him being tested in the campaign has long since erased the reservations that led us to endorse Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries. He has drawn in legions of new voters with powerful messages of hope and possibility and calls for shared sacrifice and social responsibility.
Mr. McCain, whom we chose as the best Republican nominee in the primaries, has spent the last coins of his reputation for principle and sound judgment to placate the limitless demands and narrow vision of the far-right wing. His righteous fury at being driven out of the 2000 primaries on a racist tide aimed at his adopted daughter has been replaced by a zealous embrace of those same win-at-all-costs tactics and tacticians.
He surrendered his standing as an independent thinker in his rush to embrace Mr. Bush's misbegotten tax policies and to abandon his leadership position on climate change and immigration reform.
Mr. McCain could have seized the high ground on energy and the environment. Earlier in his career, he offered the first plausible bill to control America's emissions of greenhouse gases. Now his positions are a caricature of that record: think Ms. Palin leading chants of "drill, baby, drill."
Mr. Obama has endorsed some offshore drilling, but as part of a comprehensive strategy including big investments in new, clean technologies.
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Mr. Obama has withstood some of the toughest campaign attacks ever mounted against a candidate. He's been called un-American and accused of hiding a secret Islamic faith. The Republicans have linked him to domestic terrorists and questioned his wife's love of her country. Ms. Palin has also questioned millions of Americans' patriotism, calling Republican-leaning states "pro-America."
This politics of fear, division and character assassination helped Mr. Bush drive Mr. McCain from the 2000 Republican primaries and defeat Senator John Kerry in 2004. It has been the dominant theme of his failed presidency.
The nation's problems are simply too grave to be reduced to slashing "robo-calls" and negative ads. This country needs sensible leadership, compassionate leadership, honest leadership and strong leadership. Barack Obama has shown that he has all of those qualities.

Excellent essay on WHY we need team Obama!

Ann Byrne — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:11:38 EDT

An editorial in a St Louis newspaper, the Post-Dispatch, which I came upon by chance, is the best summary I've seen to date of WHY we need to elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden!

It is concise, clear, cogent - and it covers it all in a perfectly-ststed way. To me, it says what I would like to be abl;e to express to anyone who asks why I support Obama.

See it at: http://tinyurl.com/6lpjcq

HELP WIN INDIANA'S EDITORIAL PAGE BATTLE WITH YOUR LETTER/OPINION/EDITORIAL AND THIS AMAZING "LIVE" LIST OF ALL INDIANA'S NEWSPAPERS

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:28:39 EDT

There's still time to win the battle for INDIANA's Editorial Pages: Please use this list at usnpl.com;

OHIO'S NEWSPAPERS, Taken from this "LIVE URL": http://www.usnpl.com/INnews.php

[plus, below, the 6 PART OpEdNews Compendium of Major EDITORIAL PAGE Endorsements Thus Far]

Newspapers
Click ( A ) for Newspaper address
Click ( C ) for County summary

Alexandria The Alexandria Times-Tribune (A) (C)
Anderson Anderson Herald Bulletin (A) (C)
Auburn The Evening Star (A) (C)
Batesville The Herald Tribune (A) (C)
Bedford Bedford Times-Mail (A) (C)
Bloomington The Herald-Times (A) (C)
Bluffton Bluffton News Banner (A) (C)
Brazil The Brazil Times (A) (C)
Brookville Brookville American-Democrat (A) (C)
Brownstown Jackson County Banner (A) (C)
Chesterton Chesterton Tribune (A) (C)
Cloverdale Hoosier Topics (A) (C)
Columbia City The Post & Mail (A) (C)
Columbus The Republic (A) (C)
Connersville News Examiner (A) (C)
Corydon The Corydon Democrat (A) (C)
Crawfordsville Journal Review (A) (C)
Crawfordsville The Paper of Montgomery County (A) (C)
Decatur Decatur Daily Democrat (A) (C)
Elkhart The Elkhart Truth (A) (C)
Elwood The Call-Leader (A) (C)
Evansville Evansville Courier (A) (C)
Evansville News 4U (A) (C)
Flora Carroll County Comet (A) (C)
Fort Wayne Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (A) (C)
Fort Wayne Fort Wayne Reader (A) (C)
Fort Wayne Ink Newspaper (A) (C)
Fort Wayne The News-Sentinel (A) (C)
Frankfort The Times (A) (C)
Franklin Daily Journal of Johnson County (A) (C)
French Lick Springs Valley Herald (A) (C)
Goshen Goshen News (A) (C)
Greencastle Banner-Graphic (A) (C)
Greenfield Daily Reporter (A) (C)
Greensburg Greensburg Daily News (A) (C)
Hartford City Hartford City News-Times (A) (C)
Huntington Herald Press (A) (C)
Indianapolis Indianapolis Business Journal (A) (C)
Indianapolis Indianapolis Star (A) (C)
Indianapolis Indy Outlook (A) (C)
Indianapolis Nuvo Newsweekly (A) (C)
Indianapolis The Indianapolis Recorder (A) (C)
Indianapolis The Southside Times (A) (C)
Jeffersonville Evening News and Tribune (A) (C)
Kendallville Kendallville News-Sun (A) (C)
Kokomo Kokomo Perspective (A) (C)
Kokomo Kokomo Tribune (A) (C)
La Porte Herald-Argus (A) (C)
Lafayette Journal & Courier (A) (C)
Lebanon The Reporter (A) (C)
Linton The Daily World (A) (C)
Logansport Pharos-Tribune (A) (C)
Madison Madison Courier Online (A) (C)
Marion Chronicle-Tribune (A) (C)
Martinsville The Reporter Times (A) (C)
Merrillville Gary Post Tribune (A) (C)
Michigan City The News-Dispatch (A) (C)
Monticello Herald Journal (A) (C)
Mooresville Mooresville Times (A) (C)
Muncie NewsLink Indiana (A) (C)
Muncie The Star Press (A) (C)
Munster The Times (A) (C)
Nashville Brown County Democrat (A) (C)
New Castle The Courier Times (A) (C)
New Harmony Posey County News (A) (C)
New Paris The Farmer's Exchange (A) (C)
Newburgh Newburgh Chandler Register (A) (C)
Noblesville Noblesville Daily Times (A) (C)
Noblesville The Noblesville Ledger (A) (C)
Noblesville Topics Newspapers (A) (C)
North Vernon Plain Dealer & Sun (A) (C)
Paoli Paoli News-Republican (A) (C)
Peru Peru Tribune (A) (C)
Plainfield The Flyer Group Newspapers (A) (C)
Plymouth The Pilot News (A) (C)
Portland Commercial Review (A) (C)
Princeton Princeton Daily Clarion (A) (C)
Rensselaer Rensselaer Republican Newspaper (A) (C)
Richmond Palladium-Item (A) (C)
Rochester Rochester Sentinel (A) (C)
Rushville Rushville Republican (A) (C)
Seymour Seymour Tribune (A) (C)
Shelbyville Shelbyville News (A) (C)
South Bend South Bend Tribune (A) (C)
Spencer Spencer Evening World (A) (C)
Terre Haute Journal of Business (A) (C)
Terre Haute Tribune-Star (A) (C)
Tipton Tipton County Tribune (A) (C)
Versailles Osgood Journal (A) (C)
Versailles Versailles Republican (A) (C)
Vincennes Vincennes Sun-Commercial (A) (C)
Wabash Wabash Plain Dealer (A) (C)
Warsaw Times-Union (A) (C)
Zionsville Times Sentinel (A) (C)

College Newspapers
Anderson Univ News and Events
Ball State Univ News
Butler Univ DawgNet
DePauw Univ theDePauw.com
Goshen College Record
Indiana State Univ Indiana Statesman
Indiana Univ Bloomington Digital Student
Notre Dame Observer
Purdue Univ Exponent
Purdue Univ Calumet Chronicle
Purdue Univ Indianapolis Sagamore
Wabash College Bachelor

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Editorial Page Victories clarify: Obama will win 2-1 in Electoral College! 6 part compendium, posted in full at OpEdNews.com---

Endorsements at OpEdNews: Washington Post, Houston, Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Salt Lake, Philadelphia, Portland, Bangor, Sacramento, Kansas City (4 former Red States)

OpEdNews has been the site of choice to post the growing list of major and minor newspaper endorsements for Obama. The Editorials are quoted generally in full, with interspliced commentaries from major editors and commentators, explaining what is behind the Editorials.

Part I Obama's Editorial Endorsements: including Washington Post, Fidel Castro, Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel, & more!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-s-Endorsements-The-by-Stephen-Fox-081016-633.html

*******

Part II Editorial Page Endorsements of Obama Denver Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francsico Chronicle, Los Angeles Times

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Editorial-Page-Endorsement-by-Stephen-Fox-081017-544.html

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Part III New Endorsements: Salt Lake City Tribune, Bangor and Brunswick, Maine, Philadelphia, Miami, Portland, Kansas City

http://www.opednews.com/articles/EndorspLements-Salt-Lake-Ci-by-Stephen-Fox-081018-476.html

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More Obama Endorsements IV: Sacramento, Katie Couric, Malaysia, Houston Chronicle, Detroit, Waco Tx (sort of)

http://www.opednews.com/articles/More-Obama-Endorsements-IV-by-Stephen-Fox-081019-492.html

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Endorsements 5: Cleveland, Austin, St.Pete, Gainesville,Tuscaloosa, Orlando
http://www.opednews.com/articles/ENDORSEMENTS-5-Cleveland-by-Stephen-Fox-081019-341.html

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ENDORSEMENTS 6: College Station,New Haven,San Antonio,Columbus,Las Vegas,Lexington KY

http://www.opednews.com/articles/ENDORSEMENTS-6-College-St-by-Stephen-Fox-081020-511.html

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If your time permits, please TAKE THE TIME TO COMMENT AND SHARE YOUR INSIGHTS, which become a vital part of a larger on-going dialogue.

Thank you, Stephen Fox Founder, New Millennium Fine Art
Contributing Editor New Millennium Fine Art Santa Fe, NM

Editorial Page Victories Clarify: Obama will win 2-1 in Electoral College! 4 part compendium: Endorsements at OpEdNews: Washington Post, Houston, Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Salt Lake,Philadelphia, Portland, Bangor, Sacram

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:56:46 EDT

OpEdNews has been the site of choice to post the growing list of major and minor newspaper endorsements for Obama. The Editorials are quoted generally in full, with interspliced commentaries from major editors and commentators, explaining what is behind the Editorials.

Part I Obama's Editorial Endorsements: including Washington Post, Fidel Castro, Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel, & more!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-s-Endorsements-The-by-Stephen-Fox-081016-633.html

*******

Part II Editorial Page Endorsements of Obama Denver Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francsico Chronicle, Los Angeles Times

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Editorial-Page-Endorsement-by-Stephen-Fox-081017-544.html

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Part III New Endorsements: Salt Lake City Tribune, Bangor and Brunswick, Maine, Philadelphia, Miami, Portland, Kansas City

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Endorsements-Salt-Lake-Ci-by-Stephen-Fox-081018-476.html

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More Obama Endorsements IV: Sacramento, Katie Couric, Malaysia, Houston Chronicle, Detroit, Waco Tx (sort of)

http://www.opednews.com/articles/More-Obama-Endorsements-IV-by-Stephen-Fox-081019-492.html

More Obama Endorsements: Salt Lake City Tribune, Bangor and Brunswick, Maine, Philadelphia, Miami, Portland, Kansas City: Please put these to good use!

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:33:10 EDT

WHY ENDORSE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Stephen J. Winters, former Connecticut Post opinion editor:
   "Here are reasons why we endorse:
   * "to fulfill our obligation and responsibility as a constitutionally-
protected media enterprise to not only be a part of our communities but to
also help improve those communities.
   * "to offer information and perspective that voters can use in evaluating
candidates.
   * "to create dialogue with our readers.
   "Our endorsements are not made:
   * "to tell readers who they should vote for.
   * "to make a compact with any candidate.
   * "to figure out who's most likely to win a contest."

_______________________________________

Time magazine Managing Editor Rick Stengel recently:

"During the 1936 presidential campaign, the Chicago Tribune, under its
archconservative owner, Colonel Robert McCormick, wholeheartedly endorsed
the candidacy of the Republican Alf Landon. The paper was so vehemently anti-
F.D.R. that 10 days before the election, switchboard operators at the
newspaper answered the phone by saying 'Hello. Chicago Tribune. Only 10 days
left to save the American way of life.' I confess that I've never quite
understood why newspapers endorse presidential candidates. Sure, I know the
history and the tradition, the fact that newspapers in the 18th and 19th
centuries were often affiliated with political parties, but why do they do
it now? Why do it at a time when the credibility and viability of the press
are at all-time lows? More important, why do it at a time when readers,
especially young readers, question the objectivity of newspapers in
particular and the media in general?"

BEHIND THE SCENES ON THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE'S ENDORSEMENT

In a column discussing the Chicago Tribune's historic endorsement of
Sen. Barack Obama for president, Paul Weingarten, a member of the paper's
editorial board, wrote on Friday:

"Of all the articles that appear in this newspaper, few are as mysterious
to readers as its presidential endorsements. Readers ask Tribune editorial
board members all the time how those decisions are reached. Was there a lot
of shouting? And finally, who really decided?

This year, with the Tribune's endorsement of its first Democrat, Sen. Barack
Obama, we expect even more questions. A lot of readers will be surprised by
the decision to endorse Obama. But maybe you don't know the Tribune as well
as you think.

So let us remind you of the paper's long record of independent thought, of
reporting - and sometimes making - history. Yes, the paper has stood for
Republican principles for a long time. In 1855, a young politician named
Abraham Lincoln wandered into the offices of the Tribune on Clark Street.
Lincoln handed over $4 for a subscription and complimented the new co-owner
and managing editor, Joseph Medill, on his stand against intolerance. 'I
didn't like it before you boys took hold of it,' he said of the Tribune."
___________________________________

The Salt Lake Tribune's endorsement policy explained by Editorial Page
Editor Vern Anderson: - "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871":

We endorse candidates as a public service to our readers. We also believe
endorsements are part of our responsibility as a newspaper to enlighten,
inform and promote public dialogue. With the exception of the presidential
endorsement, which is scheduled to run on Sunday, they are based on face-to-
face meetings with each candidate and on our own research.

Our endorsements are not intended to tell people how to vote. Rather,
they reflect how the editorial board would vote, and why, if it had a
ballot. Most often our endorsements are based on positions we have taken
over time on a number of public policy issues. But not always. Sometimes we
see particular strengths in a candidate that are well-suited to the office,
even if we disagree with many of their views. We endorse both Democrats and
Republicans, sometimes heartily, sometimes not. As readers know, we are far
from infallible. We've made several endorsements we'd take back if we could.

_________________________

BRUNSWICK MAINE TIMES RECORD: Obama for President
letters@TimesRecord.Com
10/17/2008

His vision for reuniting this fragmented nation, not audacity, makes Barack
Obama the best hope to lead the United States for the next four years. His
perspectives on the challenges that will confront the next president reflect
the intelligence, wisdom and modernity required to position America to
thrive in the 21st century.

Obama's action plan for addressing the critical issues that the 44th U.S.
president will encounter on Jan. 21, 2009, offers more depth and innovation
than that of his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain.

In his bearing and his thinking, Obama better reflects the long-held — but
recently tarnished — American values of equality, justice, fairness and
civil liberty. He recognizes that government affects everyday Americans'
lives, so policies should be crafted to benefit the middle class directly
rather than indirectly via crumb-spreading by those who have been allowed to
consolidate wealth and power during the Bush administration.

On key issues, here are capsule summaries of why Obama would be a better
president than McCain:

Economy: Obama's proposed tax restructuring would begin reversing the
devastating impact of the Bush tax cuts on the federal budget and provide
direct relief to workers, whose wages have stagnated. He acknowledges that
war saps the economy.

Conversely, McCain continues to hold fast to the philosophy that maintaining
tax breaks for the nation's wealthiest residents will spur economic growth,
the benefits of which will trickle down to average citizens. That's
happening now, right?

Energy: From his earliest days as a candidate, Obama has advocated
significant investment in wind, solar and other "clean" alternative energy
sources as a way of creating jobs, minimizing human impact on climate change
and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

McCain counters with, "Drill, baby, drill," the 2008 campaign's equivalent
of "Toga, toga, toga," a chant frat boys in the film "Animal House" repeated
to make them feel better and forget that they were all failing. — like
fossil fuel-based energy policy.

Health care: Obama's plan focuses on better oversight of insurers, which is
long overdue; more aggressive cost containment; and better access to
preventive medicine.

Again, McCain's belief that unfettered market forces will drive down prices
ignores precedents in the energy and food sectors and fails to recognize
that health care cannot be treated like other commodities.

Supreme Court: Contrary to the rhetoric that became conservative dogma
during the 1980s, all courts are activist courts. The only variable is which
political agenda will drive that activism.

President Bush's two appointees, John Roberts and Samuel Alito, caused the
court to lurch to the right. McCain endorses that swing, which has already
manifested itself in decisions that erode privacy rights and civil liberties.

With as many as three Supreme Court seats opening during the next four
years, an Obama presidency would balance the recent ascendancy of the
court's conservative wing.

Foreign policy: Obama and McCain split markedly on how the United States
should conduct itself in the global community, with Iraq as a centerpiece.
The Bush administration's discredited rationale for launching the war and
its mismanagement of reconstruction have gravely undermined other nations'
trust in and respect for the United States. McCain's perspective on Iraq and
foreign policy in general derives from his experience in the Navy. Hence,
his strategy subjugates diplomacy to military orthodoxy and a "duffer's
mulligan" of the same counterinsurgency tactics that failed in Vietnam.

Obama's personal history and deep knowledge of world history make him far
more likely to strengthen frayed alliances by re-establishing a coalition of
the willing rather than of the coerced.

Character: Frankly, the next president will inherit a mess of epic
proportions from a short-sighted and small-minded administration that
diminished the United States' stature at home and abroad by adhering to
a "you're with us or you're evil" approach to domestic and foreign policy.

Electing Barack Obama would demonstrate that America is better than the way
our government has conducted the people's business during the last eight
years. It would repudiate outside claims that this nation has become a
hypocritical, floundering empire and affirm that we remain a civilization
founded on opportunity, equality and each person's freedom to fulfill his or
her promise.

McCain served our parents well. Obama will serve our children better.

_____________________________________

Barack Obama for President BANGOR MAINE

Change has become an overused buzzword this election, but change is what
this country needs. Change from a misguided foreign policy that indefinitely
leaves U.S. troops in Iraq more than five years after an invasion based on
dubious evidence. Change from a hands-off approach to financial markets that
have paralyzed the U.S. economy. Change from a fiscal policy that has
ballooned the federal deficit and shortchanged domestic programs. Change
from an administration veiled in secrecy with little regard for the
Constitution and American principles. Barack Obama represents that change.

This paper has long respected and supported John McCain, especially his
efforts, often along with Maineâ€™s senators, on climate change, campaign
finance reform and government spending. That John McCain is not running for
president.

The Sen. McCain on the Nov. 4 ballot favors extending the fiscally
irresponsible Bush tax cuts when the "maverick" voted against them in
the Senate. The Sen. McCain running for president says he is firmly pro-life
although he previously said he would oppose overturning Roe v. Wade because
that would cause women to have dangerous illegal abortions.

Sen. McCain, who has a long record of distinguished service to his country,
has compromised his principles to get elected. His reckless choice of Sarah
Palin, the folksy but untested and incurious governor of the countryâ€™s
most government-dependent state, as his running mate is a prime example.
Worse is his tolerance of his campaign's desperate attempts to paint Sen.
Obama as a friend of terrorists because he served on a board with William
Ayers, a member of the radical 1960s group the Weather Underground.

As conservative columnist George Will wrote last month: â€œIt is arguable
that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It
is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless
reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be
corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying
temperament be fixed?

With a record number of Americans believing the country is on the wrong
track, strong leadership and a commitment to moving in a new direction are
needed. While his opponents have derided Sen. Obama's talk of hope and
unity as empty slogans, the popularity of his campaign shows that the
country is eager for positive leadership, not a continuation of the
divisiveness fostered by the Bush administration.

Backing hope and unity ensures that Maine remains focused on the future,
where a return to the country's positive prospects lies.

A positive message, of course, is not enough to be elected president, and we
do have reservations about Sen. Obama's limited experience: he has served
only four years in the U.S. Senate and three terms in the Illinois
Senate. But he has shown an eagerness to surround himself with well-informed
advisers and, as important, a willingness to listen to dissenting views.

If elected, Sen. Obama will work with a Congress controlled by Democrats. He
and party leaders have a responsibility to restrain government spending,
resist growth in government programs and foster moderate policy shifts,
which requires building on good ideas from Republicans and Democrats alike.

This is especially necessary because Sen. Obama will have a difficult time
finding ways to pay for the needed, but expensive reforms he proposes for
health care, education and the tax code. Addressing voters' top concerns:
righting the economy, ending the war in Iraq and moving America toward
energy independence will only come through bipartisan negotiations, in
which Sen. McCain can play a key role as he has on important issues such as
climate change and military contracting.

At a cost of $10 billion a month, the loss of more than 4,000 American
soldiers' lives and the constraints it placed on the U.S. military, the
current strategy in Iraq is not sustainable. Sen. Obama understands this.

He also understands that drilling for oil without conservation and support
for renewable energy won't move the U.S. toward energy independence. He
understands that reducing taxes and health care costs for the middle class
and small businesses are essential to rebuilding the economy.

For these reasons, the policies of the Barack Obama and Joe Biden ticket and
its serious focus on our most pressing issues will better serve Maine and
America.
_________________

The Kansas City Star endorsed Obama on Oct. 17:

We believe Sen. Barack Obama is the right person to lead the country
forward. He is a man of strength, empathy, energy and intelligence.

The Illinois Democrat understands the challenges that await George Bush's
successor. A gifted public servant whose roots extend to his mother's
birthplace in Kansas, Obama has a rare ability to encourage hope among the
dispirited and to inspire young people.

Obama's sound judgment is reflected in his choice for a running mate. Sen.
Joe Biden is a passionate advocate of ordinary Americans and a foreign-
policy expert who would be prepared to assume the Oval Office on a moment's
notice ...

McCain has been a less impressive candidate this year than when he ran for
president in 2000. Although claiming to be a change agent, he is following
in Bush's footsteps on everything from the war in Iraq to tax breaks that
favor the wealthy over the middle class.

Despite his age and previous health problems, McCain chose a vice
presidential candidate who is so clearly unqualified for high office that
the thought of her stepping into the presidency is frightening.
_________________________________

Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune endorsed Obama on Oct. 17:

Out of nowhere, and without proper vetting, the impetuous McCain picked
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She quickly proved grievously
underequipped to step into the presidency should McCain, at 72 and with a
history of health problems, die in office. More than any single factor,
McCain's bad judgment in choosing the inarticulate, insular and ethically
challenged Palin disqualifies him for the presidency. ...

The country desperately needs a new and well-defined road map for the 21st
century and leadership that can unite the country behind it.

We believe that Barack Obama can give us both.

___

The (Portland) Oregonian endorsed Obama on Oct. 18:

Obama has the best chance, and the best abilities, to rebuild an American
economy that has grown dangerously unstable, with government, consumers and
the nation itself spiraling deeply into debt and selling off the national
future to pay for daily expenses. He is the best choice to rebuild the
American position in the world, to restore our ties with traditional allies,
to re-make the American argument to the rest of the world.

Crucially, Barack Obama can recall the United States to its own highest
principles and priorities. He can change course after an administration that
has often cut constitutional and legal corners, and frequently stumbled into
policy and philosophical embarrassment.

___

The Miami Herald endorsed Obama on Oct. 18:

The way the two candidates responded to the economic meltdown offers a
lesson in contrasting styles of leadership. Both have put forth a series of
worthwhile policy options, but where Sen. Obama was calm, Sen. McCain was
frantic. He first put his campaign "on hold" and suggested he would cancel
the first debate, and then suddenly decided to take part even as the first
bailout deal cratered. He said the fundamentals of the economy were strong,
then a few days later vowed to "name the names" of those responsible for the
financial crisis.

In other elections, voters have complained of having to make a choice
between two bad candidates. That is not the case this time. The nation is
fortunate to have good candidates and a clear choice. Sen. Obama represents
the best chance for America to make a clean break with the culture wars and
failed policies of the past, and begin to restore the hope and promise of
America as the world's greatest democracy.

___

The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Obama on Oct. 18:

If America is going to fight its way out of a worldwide economic crisis that
has people fearful of losing not only their homes but also their jobs, and
fearful of unending war, then it must have better leadership than it has had
the past eight years. ...

Both major candidates are trying to avoid association with Bush's failed
policies. But only one does so successfully. On every issue important to
America, Barack Obama offers a plan that would pull this nation from the
precipice built by bad Bush decisions. The Inquirer endorses Barack Obama
for president.

While John McCain also promises "change," it's hard to believe that's
possible from someone who, by his own admission, has voted with Bush 90
percent of the time. ...

More troubling was McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his
running mate. This blatant overture to women voters and evangelical
Christians who share her views on abortion backfired when Palin in
interviews proved she is not prepared to be a heartbeat away from the
presidency. ...

There's another reason to vote for Obama. It would tell the world that the
melting-pot America of legend has finally become a reality. ... With his
eloquent oratory, Obama has already taken big steps to bridge America's
racial divide.

[BIO: In 1980, Stephen Fox founded New Millennium Fine Art, a Santa Fe gallery
specializing in Native American and Landscape, and is very active in New
Mexico Legislative consumer protection politics, trying above to get the FDA
to rescind its approval for the neurotoxic and carcinogenic artificial
sweetener, Aspartame. [http://www.prlog.org/10070694] In a strictly
legislative context, his most important writing has been for the Hawaii
Senate: http://www.prlog.org/10056715-hawaii-senate In his capacity as
Contributing Editor of the Santa Fe Sun News, Fox recently interviewed
Mikhail Gorbachev: http://www.prlog.org/10064349-mikhail-gorbachev He has
been adamant and resourceful about exposing the charlatans of the sometimes-
organic food movement. Take the time to read this press release concerning
California Attorney General Jerry Brown's suits against Whole Foods, Avalon,
and others, for either knowingly or negligently adding a deadly carcinogen
to their body care products and soap, as in Whole Foods 365 Label products:
http://www.prlog.org/10079593]

Editorial Page Endorsements of Obama Part II Denver Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francsico Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Cincinnati City Beat; Please put these to good use!

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:57:35 EDT

[For months, I have been urging and coaching and doing free editing to help Obama supporters write letters to the Editor, and always recommended to them that they consult EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, a guide to newspapers in America which lists the name of the Editorial Page Editor, to call ahead and discuss op/ed lengths rather than just letter to the editor lengths.

To see this latest blast of endorsements reaffirms my faith both in independent and discerning American Editorial Pages and the strength of my tactical approach to Presidential Politics, but above all, faith in the intelligence, compassion, and coolness of our best candidate, Obama, who has rightly convinced hundreds of millions of American he is the right choice!---note from Stephen Fox]

__________________________

How we decided: Denver Post

By Dan Haley
Up until late this week, our editorial board was torn over our
presidential endorsement.

Just like Colorado, we were divided neatly between Barack Obama and John McCain.

We had many of the same conversations in our board room that many of you have had over your own kitchen tables or in coffee shops or at cocktail parties.

Obama is too inexperienced. McCain's health care plan is a disaster.

Neither man has articulated a clear plan for the economy. Obama won't say what programs he'll cut given the economic crisis, while McCain still thinks he can balance the budget through tax cuts and lucky charms.

Sarah Palin isn't qualified to be president. Joe Biden is a blooper waiting to happen.

Of course, we even had a few nice things to say about the candidates, but being skeptics, we often gravitated back to the negatives.

That seems to be where we are as a nation, too: the negatives. Maybe Obama can change that. I have my doubts. But wouldn't it be nice?

Anyway, as you can see, we eventually found ourselves at Barack Obama.

"Typical left-wing Denver Post," many of you will mutter. Others may be surprised. Since we endorsed George W. Bush in 2004, many readers have assumed, according to the e-mails we still receive, that we're in the pocket of Republicans. (They forget, or just don't know, that we actually endorsed Al Gore in 2000.)

The Post is an independent newspaper that doesn't care what's good for Republicans or what's good for Democrats. We owe nothing to either party.

Today, with our endorsement of Obama, we lean further to the left than my own personal compass. But it's where the majority of our board is, and that's OK.

We know our endorsement is likely to anger about, oh, 47 percent of the people in Colorado. And that's OK, too.

Endorsements are meant to stoke a public dialogue.

Since 1946, when Palmer Hoyt re-established the editorial page, we've endorsed a candidate in 14 presidential races. Until today, we had endorsed seven Democrats and seven Republicans.

In 1974, in an editorial written after Hoyt's retirement, The Post wrote:

"An editorial endorsement of a candidate is nothing more nor nothing less than an opinion intended to stimulate public discussion and to give the newspaper's best judgment for its readers to ponder and weigh as they see fit. Our endorsement system is not beyond criticism. We are seeking improved government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and so far we have not found a better way to express election opinion than the endorsement system."

And since "lively disagreement is the lifeblood of opinion pages," as the late Sue O'Brien once wrote, one of our board members, Chuck Plunkett, has penned a dissent column, also found on this page.

The endorsement process often isn't pretty. It can be a fierce debate, fueled by high emotions. But it tells you where we stand today as a newspaper.

After all the debates, YouTube videos, and the endless loop of campaign ads, our hope is to give you something else of substance to chew on as you mull the election.

Editorial page editor Dan Haley can be reached at dhaley@denverpost.com.

_________________________________

LOS ANGELES TIMES

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-endorse19-
2008oct19,0,5198206.story

>From the Los Angeles Times
Endorsement: Barack Obama for president
He is the competent, confident leader who represents the aspirations of the United States.

11:01 AM PDT, October 17, 2008

It is inherent in the American character to aspire to greatness, so it can be disorienting when the nation stumbles or loses confidence in bedrock principles or institutions. That's where the United States is as it prepares to select a new president: We have seen the government take a stake in venerable private financial houses; we have witnessed eight years of executive branch power grabs and erosion of civil liberties; we are still recovering from a murderous attack by terrorists on our own soil and still struggling with how best to prevent a recurrence.

We need a leader who demonstrates thoughtful calm and grace under pressure, one not prone to volatile gesture or capricious pronouncement. We need a leader well-grounded in the intellectual and legal foundations of American freedom. Yet we ask that the same person also possess the spark and passion to inspire the best within us: creativity, generosity and a fierce defense of justice and liberty.

The Times without hesitation endorses Barack Obama for president.

Our nation has never before had a candidate like Obama, a man born in the 1960s, of black African and white heritage, raised and educated abroad as well as in the United States, and bringing with him a personal narrative that encompasses much of the American story but that, until now, has been reflected in little of its elected leadership. The excitement of Obama's early campaign was amplified by that newness. But as the presidential race draws to its conclusion, it is Obama's character and temperament that come to the fore. It is his steadiness. His maturity.

These are qualities American leadership has sorely lacked for close to a decade. The U.S. Constitution, more than two centuries old, now offers the world one of its more mature and certainly most stable governments, but our political culture is still struggling to shake off a brash and unseemly adolescence. In George W. Bush, the executive branch turned its back on an adult role in the nation and the world and retreated into self-absorbed unilateralism.

John McCain distinguished himself through much of the Bush presidency by speaking out against reckless and self-defeating policies. He earned The Times' respect, and our endorsement in the California Republican primary, for his denunciation of torture, his readiness to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and his willingness to buck his party on issues such as immigration reform. But the man known for his sense of honor and consistency has since announced that he wouldn't vote for his own immigration bill, and he redefined "torture" in such a disingenuous way as to nearly embrace what he once abhorred.

Indeed, the presidential campaign has rendered McCain nearly unrecognizable. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory. The decision calls into question just what kind of thinking -- if that's the appropriate word -- would drive the White House in a McCain presidency.
Fortunately, the public has shown more discernment, and the early enthusiasm for Palin has given way to national ridicule of her candidacy and McCain's judgment.

Obama's selection also was telling. He might have scored a steeper bump in the polls by making a more dramatic choice than the capable and experienced Joe Biden. But for all the excitement of his own candidacy, Obama has offered more competence than drama.

He is no lone rider. He is a consensus builder, a leader. As a
constitutional scholar, he has articulated a respect for the rule of law and the limited power of the executive that make him the best hope of restoring balance and process to the Justice Department. He is a Democrat, leaning further left than right, and that should be reflected in his nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is a good thing; the court operates best when it is ideologically balanced. With its present alignment at seven justices named by Republicans and two by Democrats, it is due for a tug from the left.

We are not sanguine about Obama's economic policies. He speaks with populist sweep about taxing oil companies to give middle-class families rebates that of course they would welcome, but would be far too small to stimulate the economy. His ideas on taxation do not stray far from those put forward by Democrats over the last several decades. His response to the most recent, and drastic, fallout of the sub- prime mortgage meltdown has been appropriately cautious; this is uncharted territory, and Obama is not a master of economic theory or practice.

And that's fine. Obama inspires confidence not so much in his grasp of Wall Street finance, but in his acknowledgment of and comfort with his lack of expertise. He will not be one to forge far-reaching economic policy without sounding out the best thinkers and practitioners, and he has many at his disposal. He has won the backing of some on Wall Street not because he's one of them, but because they recognize his talent for extracting from a broad range of proposals a coherent and workable program.

On paper, McCain presents the type of economic program The Times has
repeatedly backed: One that would ease the tax burden on business and other high earners most likely to invest in the economy and hire new workers. But he has been disturbingly unfocused in his response to the current financial situation, rushing to "suspend" his campaign and take action (although just what action never became clear). Having little to contribute, he instead chose to exploit the crisis.

We may one day look back on this presidential campaign in wonder. We may marvel that Obama's critics called him an elitist, as if an Ivy League education were a source of embarrassment, and belittled his eloquence, as if a gift with words were suddenly a defect. In fact, Obama is educated and eloquent, sober and exciting, steady and mature. He represents the nation as it is, and as it aspires to be.

________________________________________________

CHICAGO TRIBUNE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS 161 YEAR HISTORY ENDORSES
DEMOCRAT: OBAMA!

However this election turns out, it will dramatically advance America's slow progress toward equality and inclusion. It took Abraham Lincoln's extraordinary courage in the Civil War to get us here. It took an epic battle to secure women the right to vote. It took the perseverance of the civil rights movement. Now we have an election in which we will choose the first African-American president . . . or the first female vice president.

In recent weeks it has been easy to lose sight of this history in the making. Americans are focused on the greatest threat to the world economic system in 80 years. They feel a personal vulnerability the likes of which they haven't experienced since Sept. 11, 2001. It's a different kind of vulnerability. Unlike Sept. 11, the economic threat hasn't forged a common bond in this nation. It has fed anger, fear and mistrust.

On Nov. 4 we're going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose.

The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States.

____________________________________________

NOTES FROM WASHINGTON INDEPENDENT:

[It's no surprise that the liberal media would support its favorite son. However, as the Tribune notes in its editorial, this marks the first time in the newspaper's history that it has endorsed a Democrat for the nation's highest office. The Los Angeles Times has not endorsed a candidate in the presidential race since 1972, and it has never supported a Democrat before either.

The four newspapers all pointed to Sen. John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as a key reason for endorsing Obama. McCain has largely ignored or brushed aside questions about Palin's lack of experience -- and by extension, his judgment. The Los Angeles Times was the most scathing:

Indeed, the presidential campaign has rendered McCain nearly unrecognizable. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory. The decision calls into question just what kind of thinking -- if that's the appropriate word -- would drive the White House in a McCain presidency.
Fortunately, the public has shown more discernment, and the early enthusiasm for Palin has given way to national ridicule of her candidacy and McCain's judgment.

_______________________________________

THE CHRONICLE RECOMMENDS: Barack Obama for president
Why Obama is the choice
The Illinois senator has shown beyond a doubt that he is the one to lead the nation in troubled times.

Friday, October 17, 2008

The stakes were extraordinarily high even before our economy began to spasm and hurtle toward the abyss.

From the start of the campaign, Americans were confronted with profound policy choices about how and when to extricate this nation from a war it initiated, how to temper a looming recession, and whether to continue Bush administration policies that had widened the gap between rich and poor, eroded individual liberties, strengthened presidential power, shifted the Supreme Court to the right, weakened relations with our allies, and delayed action necessary to slow the warming of the planet.

Then, suddenly, the emergence of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression gave Americans an opportunity to see the two major-party candidates under heightened stress. It was a rare chance to see the two senators encounter the type of pressure that comes with the job description of president of the United States.

Even though each ultimately voted for the same solution - the $700 billion bailout-their demeanors could not have been more different. Sen. John McCain magnified the aura of crisis, "suspending" his campaign to return to Washington, where his role in negotiations was at best tangential. Sen. Barack Obama was a portrait of calmness and deliberation, reminding Americans that it is possible for a leader to juggle more than one task at a time.

Obama showed steadiness in a moment of anxiety, with Americans' portfolios withering and policymakers scrambling to do something - anything - to staunch the panic. The Illinois senator was similarly deliberative - in contrast with McCain's quick-draw provocation - when Russia invaded Georgia in August.

In those crises, and in the hot lights of three debates, Obama demonstrated a presidential depth and temperament. His performance under the unrelenting scrutiny of the past 20 months has helped quell the "experience issue" for a 47-year-old senator who was elected in 2004.

Still, the breadth of the job of the presidency is such that even the most capable and experienced leader must rely on the advice and judgment of seasoned and specialized appointees. A president's success is determined not only by his aptitude, instincts and communication skills - which Obama demonstrated throughout the campaign - but also by the quality of the advisers around him. Do they have the mettle to challenge a president? Does he have the self-confidence, and the trust in them, to encourage such challenges?

Obama's selection of Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate suggests that he would encourage vigorous input in his administration. Biden, 65 and a senator since 1972, has established himself as one of Washington's pre-eminent authorities on foreign policy - and a man who is famously unafraid to volunteer his opinion.

McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has been largely sequestered from the news media since her selection in late August. She has yet to have anything resembling a traditional news conference, where the full range of her knowledge and views can be explored. Her avoidance of questions and reliance on cue-card talking points in the one vice presidential debate did
nothing to allay doubts about whether the 44-year-old governor of two years is capable of assuming the reins of the presidency. Her selection was but an act of political calculation by McCain.

The erstwhile appeal of "maverick" McCain, 72, has been further undercut by his tack to the right on the Bush tax cuts (which he initially resisted), his newfound allegiance to the religious right (in 2000, he called its leaders "agents of intolerance") and the low tone of his campaign in recent weeks (with attempts to portray Obama as a "pal of terrorists").

While both candidates speak of "change," on the issue that matters most to Americans at this moment - the economy - there is no question about which candidate's policies represents a distinct departure from the approach of the last eight years. McCain's agenda largely reflects the orthodoxy of deregulation and top-weighted tax cuts that defined Republican politics for almost 30 years. McCain has poured forth more proposals to stimulate the economy with cuts on capital gains taxes and allowing certain early withdrawals on retirement accounts. He also has floated a plan to purchase troubled mortgages to help homeowners avoid foreclosure and stay in their
homes.

Obama draws on some of the traditional Democratic themes: a more active government role in regulating businesses and trade agreements, more tax relief for the middle class, and stimulating the economy with public-works projects.

Both candidates have been less than forthcoming about how their tax-cut and spending plans might be derailed if the economy continues to tank or the bailout proves less effective and more expensive than anticipated.

At the start of the year, it looked as if the war in Iraq might be the defining issue of 2008. The United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars - and lost more than 4,100 troops - since President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq more than five years ago. McCain's stubborn insistence on "victory" before withdrawal runs the danger of extending the quagmire.

Meanwhile, the threat of terrorism has not gone away. As Obama has noted, the invasion of Iraq diverted resources and attention from what should be the main front on terrorism: the rugged terrain along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where al Qaeda and, presumably, its leader, Osama bin Laden, retreated after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Beyond Iraq, the president who walks into the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2009, will need to rebuild alliances that have been frayed by the unilateralist approach of the Bush White House. McCain has mocked Obama for his willingness to open dialogue with Iran and other rogue nations, but, again, the go-it-alone, world-opinion-be-damned approach of the past eight years has not made us safer. The challenges of our times - curbing global warming, addressing the global economic crisis, combatting terrorism - require international cooperation.

Throughout a campaign that has been intense - and at some points ugly - Obama has kept his composure and maintained a vision of optimism that has drawn an unparalleled wave of young people into the political process. His policies and his persona have offered hope to a nation that is deeply polarized, swimming in debt, mired in war and ridden with anxiety. He taps into that treasured American reservoir - patriotism - with his calls for sacrifice and national service.

Barack Obama is the right president for these troubled times.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/EDLP13H6V9.DTL

____________________________

BY GREG MITCHELL EDITOR AND PUBLISHER:

NEW YORK The Obama-Biden ticket maintains its strong lead in the race fornewspaper endorsements, picking up 12 more papers in the past day, including the giant Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune on Friday afternoon. This brings his lead over McCain-Palin by this measure to over 3-1 so far, at 51-16, including most of the major papers that have decided so far. In contrast, John Kerry barely edged George W. Bush in endorsements in 2004, by about 220 to 205.

The readership of the 51 newspapers backing Obama now stands at 6,299,363 daily circulation. He gained two biggies yesterday in The Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle, and today picked up the Modesto Bee in addition to the L.A. Times, plus el Diario La Prensa and La Opinion.

The Columbian in Washington was an unexpected win for Obama, since the newspaper endorsed President Bush in the 2004 election. Obama has now picked up at least seven "flip-flops" of this type.

The Mountain Valley News in Colorado adds to McCain's endorsement list, bringing his total to 16 newspapers. The daily circulation of hisnewspapers now stands at 1,502,163.

________________________________________

SKY NEWS:

In Pennsylvania, Conservative radio host Michael Smerconish said he was also throwing his support behind Mr Obama.

"John McCain is an honorable man who has served his country well. But he will not get my vote. For the first time since registering as a Republican 28 years ago, I'm voting for a Democrat for president."

And there are reports that former Secretary of State Colin Powell - who served the last three Republican presidents including George W Bush - may come out in support of the Democrat too.

Sky News political analyst Jon-Christopher Bua said: "Although no one endorsement can turn the tide for a candidate, each one helps push some segment of the undecided voters closer to their choice.

He added: None of this is very good news for John Mc Cain."

The latest endorsements come after the Republican failed to land a knock-out blow in the third and final presidential debate in New York and as voters swing behind Mr Obama in states which have previously been Republican strongholds.

The Illinois Senator now has an eight point lead in Virginia which hasn't backed a Democrat since 1964. He is also challenging Mr McCain in Indiana. The state has only backed a Democrat once since 1940.

-----------------------------------------

Cincinnati CityBeat:

As Election Day creeps ever closer, it's time for CityBeat to start
publishing election endorsements and help those remaining undecided voters get their act together. Given our niche in Greater Cincinnati as a voice for progressive causes, we've recommended candidates and ballot issue positions since our founding in 1994 and take that role seriously.

Let's begin with the big enchilada this fall, the presidential race. It should come as no shock that CityBeat endorses Sen. Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States.

There's no shock in our choice because Obama is truly the only candidate on the presidential ballot who can turn this country around. And the country needs turned around in a big way and in a hurry.

The litany of Bush administration failures and scandals is too long to list here, but we can boil down the past eight years to these truths: Bush and his cronies have abused the power of the federal government (torture of accused terrorists and others, domestic spying of U.S. citizens, politicization of U.S. Attorneys, etc.) while failing to make the government effective where it should be (poor Iraq War planning and reconstruction, poor oversight of the financial markets, poor management of disaster aid, etc.).

In short, they've overstepped government boundaries when restraint was required and blew off responsibilities when they felt like it. An Obama presidency will move 180 degrees from Bush's cynical, disinterested, manipulative approach.

Obama has run a serious, focused, organized and inspirational campaign for president and at every step of the long, long process has emerged both victorious and humble. His management of the big picture atop a two-year-long 50-state campaign organization bodes very well for his ability to lead the Democratic Party, Congress and the country over the next four to eight years.

Much of the excitement around Obama flows from his compelling personal story, starting (and in some cases ending) with his standing as the first African-American major party presidential nominee and soon to be the country's first black president.

It's difficult to overstate the significance of this accomplishment, as his election would impact the country and world in so many ways, but it would also be wrong to reduce Obama simply to a symbol.

As with anyone, who Obama is and how he behaves tie directly back to how he was raised and the decisions he made along the way as an adult. Brought up by a single white mother, white grandparents and an Asian stepfather in exotic Hawaii and Indonesia, dealing with abandonment by his own father, trying to find a path in both the black and white worlds while assimilating with the establishment at Ivy League universities, Obama faced and overcame challenges before age 30 that few of us can relate to.

He learned his politics fighting against and later collaborating with the Daley Machine in Chicago, and he caught some breaks along the way.

Would Obama have been elected to the U.S. Senate in Illinois if his better-known Republican rival hadn't flamed out in a sex scandal? Would he have beaten Hillary Clinton if she hadn't made so many tactical mistakes
throughout the early Democratic primary season? Would he be on the verge of becoming president if John McCain were running even a halfway decent campaign? Who knows?

Ultimately, the most impressive thing about Obama's run for the presidency is that his campaign has come across as planned out, strategic and thoughtful. Imagine a president who plans, strategizes and thinks. A crazy concept, we know, but that sort of leader is desperately needed right now.

Obama will enjoy about a two-year honeymoon as president. Both houses of Congress will have more Democrats, and the Senate might even feature a filibuster-proof 60-40 Democratic advantage.

Obama will have the necessary support in Congress to enact his reform plans for health care, financial markets, taxes, the wars in the Middle East and just about everything else. Given how the polls look these days, he should beat McCain so decisively that he'll be able to claim a "mandate" from voters for fundamental change.

He'll also inherit two of the most daunting problems of modern times: the threat of Middle Easternbred terrorism against the West and the global financial meltdown. Both situations continue to drain attention and money that could be used to improve everyday life for most of us via better schools, fairer health care, better retirement plans, cleaner environment, better transportation and better planning.

If Obama isn't able to get his team focused on accomplishing his stated goals and if world events interfere with his plans, the public will be ready to punish him and the Democrats in the mid-term Congressional elections in two years -- much like they punished President Clinton in 1994. So he has two years to get something done.

Obama reminds us of the two most popular Democratic presidents since World War II, John Kennedy and Bill Clinton. Like them, he's youthful, optimistic and oozes personal charm and warmth. He represents the "best and brightest" of his generation.

The warning for Obama, of course, is that both Kennedy and Clinton are often remembered more for their personal foibles than for their breakthroughs and accomplishments. Still, they remain revered presidents in many American households.

Will Obama be able to join the ranks of the revered? Will he fulfill his promises? Will he really be different?

One thing is for sure: When Barack Obama takes the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2009, the world changes and everything becomes possible. That sounds like a future we can all believe in.

EDITORIAL PAGE ENDORSEMENTS PART ONE HEADLINED TODAY AT OPEDNEWS!

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:33:32 EDT

Obama's Editorial Endorsements: including Washington Post, Fidel Castro, Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel, & more!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-s-Endorsements-The-by-Stephen-Fox-081016-633.html

I hope you take a few moments to share your insights in a comment here and at OpEdNews, which then becomes a vital part of a larger dialogue.

Thanks, Stephen Fox
Founder, New Millennium Fine Art Santa Fe NM