Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 1466 } Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Posted: Tue 09 Sep 2008 11:59 Post subject: Media endoresments for Obama
The purpose of this sticky thread will be for media endoresments for Obama. After the election, I will tally up the various endoresments for both candidates. Anyone is welcomed to post editorials. I'd like to keep it just editorials please, no comments. Please create a thread to comment on a specific editorial.
I don't have time to look at any of the sources cited right now, but you might want to check this out. It is a list of newspapers, according to wikipedia, that endorsed Senator Obama during the primaries. You will see that Senator Clinton had a long list, as well. I wonder if those newspapers will endorse Obama now. Each entry appears to provide a link to the original story, so it looks legit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_endorsements_in_the_United_States_presidential_primaries,_2008
Quote:
Barack Obama
Main article: List of Barack Obama presidential campaign endorsements
* Albuquerque Journal newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico[25]
* Albuquerque Tribune newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico[26]
* Ames Iowa State Daily newspaper in Ames, Iowa[27] [28]
* The Arizona Republic newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona[29]
* The Aspen Times newspaper in Aspen, Colorado[30]
* AsianWeek newspaper[31]
* Atlanta Daily World newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia[32]
* Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia[33]
* Austin American Statesman[34]
* The Baltimore Sun newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland [35]
* Belleville News-Democrat newspaper in Belleville, Illinois[36]
* The Bergen County Record newspaper in Hackensack, New Jersey[37]
* The Birmingham News newspaper in Birmingham, Alabama[38]
* Black Voice News newspaper[39]
* The Boston Bay State Banner newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts[40]
* Boston Globe newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts[41]
* The Boston Phoenix newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts[42]
* The Charlotte Observer newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina[43]
* Chicago Defender newspaper in Chicago, Illinois[44]
* Chicago Sun Times newspaper in Chicago, Illinois[45]
* Chicago Tribune newspaper in Chicago, Illinois[46][47]
* Chico News & Review newspaper in Chico, California[48]
* Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio [49]
* Colorado Springs Independent newspaper in Colorado Springs, Colorado[50]
* The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Washington [51]
* Connecticut Post newspaper in Bridgeport, Connecticut[52]
* Contra Costa Times newspaper in Walnut Creek, California[53]
* Corpus Christi Caller-Times newspaper in Corpus Christi, Texas[54]
* The Courier-Journal newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky[55]
* Daily Herald newspaper in Arlington Heights, Illinois[56]
* The Daily News Tribune newspaper in Waltham, Massachusetts[57]
* The Daily Star newspaper in Oneonta, New York[58]
* Dallas Morning News newspaper in Dallas, Texas[59][60]
* The Day newspaper in New London, Connecticut[61]
* The Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs, California[62]
* The Economist newspaper[63]
* El Latino, Spanish-language newspaper in Des Moines, Iowa[64][65]
* El Paso Times newspaper in El Paso, Texas[66]
* Elko Daily Free Press newspaper in Elko, Nevada[67]
* Financial Times newspaper in London, England[68]
* Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper in Fort Worth, Texas[69]
* The Free Lance-Star newspaper in Fredericksburg, Virginia[70]
* Fresno Bee newspaper in Fresno, California[71]
* The Gainesville Sun newspaper in Gainesville, Florida[72]
* Gay City News LGBT newspaper in New York City[73]
* The Greenville News newspaper in Greenville, South Carolina[74]
* Hobbs News-Sun newspaper in Hobbs, New Mexico[25]
* The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper in Honolulu, Hawaii[75]
* Houston Chronicle newspaper in Houston, Texas[76]
* Hoy Spanish-language newspaper in Chicago, Illinois[77]
* Inland Valley Daily Bulletin newspaper in Pomona Valley[78]
* Iowa City Daily Iowan newspaper in Iowa City, Iowa[28]
* Iowa City Press-Citizen newspaper in Iowa City, Iowa[28]
* Jewish News of Greater Phoenix newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona[79]
* Joplin Globe newspaper in Joplin, Missouri[80]
* Juneau Empire newspaper in Juneau, Alaska[81]
* Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee[82]
* Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper in Las Vegas, Nevada[83]
* El Latino, Spanish-language newspaper in Des Moines, Iowa[84][85]
* The Littleton Courier newspaper in Littleton, Maine[86]
* Little India magazine[87]
* Logan Herald-Observer newspaper in Logan, Iowa[28]
* Los Alamos Monitor newspaper in Los Alamos County, New Mexico[88]
* Los Angeles Daily News newspaper in Los Angeles, California[89]
* Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper in Los Angeles, California[90]
* Los Angeles Times newspaper in Los Angeles, California[91]
* Los Angeles Wave newspaper in Los Angeles, California[92]
* Marin Independent Journal newspaper in Marin County, California[93]
* Memphis Tri-State Defender newspaper in Memphis, Tennessee[94]
* Merced Sun-Star newspaper in Merced, California[95]
* Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper in Milwaukee, Wisconsin[96]
* Minnesota Daily newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota[97]
* The Modesto Bee newspaper in Modesto, California [98]
* The Morning Call newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania[99]
* Mundo Latino, Spanish language newspaper in Sioux City, Iowa[100]
* The Nashua Telegraph newspaper in Nashua, New Hampshire[101]
* Native American Times newspaper[102]
* New Haven Register newspaper in New Haven, Connecticut [103]
* The New York Observer newspaper in New York City[104]
* New York Post newspaper in New York, New York[105]
* North Bay Bohemian newspaper in North Bay, California[106]
* North Coast Journal newspaper in Humboldt County, California[107]
* Norwich Bulletin newspaper in Norwich, Connecticut[108]
* The Oakland Tribune newspaper in Oakland, California[109]
* La Opinión Spanish language newspaper in Los Angeles, California[110]
* The Orange County Register newspaper in Santa Ana, California[111]
* The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Oregon[112]
* Ottumwa Courier newspaper in Ottumwa, Iowa[113]
* Pacific Sun newspaper in Marin County, California[114]
* The Palm Beach Post newspaper in Palm Beach County, Florida[115]
* Paradise Post newspaper in Paradise, California[116]
* Pasadena Star-News newspaper in Pasadena, California[117]
* Pensacola News Journal newspaper in Pensacola, Florida[118]
* Peoria Journal Star newspaper in Peoria, Illinois[119]
* Philadelphia City Paper, newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[120]
* Philadelphia Daily News, newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[121]
* The Philadelphia Inquirer, newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[122]
* Philadelphia Tribune, newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[123]
* Philadelphia Weekly, newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[124]
* Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[125]
* The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio[126]
* Portland Press Herald newspaper in Portland, Maine[127]
* The Portsmouth Herald newspaper in Portsmouth, New Hampshire[128]
* Post-Tribune newspaper in Gary, Indiana[129]
* The Press Democrat newspaper in Santa Rosa, California[130]
* The Press-Enterprise newspaper in Inland Empire, California[131]
* The Record newspaper in Stockton, California[132]
* Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper in Reno, Nevada[133]
* Rochester City Newspaper newspaper in Rochester, New York[134]
* The Rock Hill Herald newspaper in Rock Hill, South Carolina[135]
* The Rockford Register Star newspaper in Rockford, Illinois[136]
* Sacramento Bee newspaper in Sacramento, California[137]
* San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper in San Francisco, California[138]
* San Francisco Chronicle newspaper in San Francisco, California[139]
* San Jose Mercury News newspaper in San Jose, California[140]
* Santa Barbara Independent newspaper in Santa Barbara, California[141]
* Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper in Santa Cruz, California[142]
* Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper in Santa Fe, New Mexico[143]
* Sacramento News & Review newspaper in Sacramento, California[144]
* San Antonio Express-News newspaper in San Antonio, Texas[145]
* San Diego CityBeat newspaper in San Diego, California[146]
* San Francisco Bay View newspaper in San Francisco, California[147]
* Santa Fe Reporter newspaper in Santa Fe, New Mexico[148]
* SC Black News newspaper in South Carolina[149]
* Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper in Seattle, Washington[150]
* The Seattle Times newspaper in Seattle, Washington[151]
* Selma Times-Journal newspaper in Selma, Alabama[152]
* Sioux City Journal newspaper in Sioux City, Iowa[153]
* South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Florida[154]
* Southern Voice LGBT newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia[155]
* The Springfield Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts[156]
* St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri[157]
* St. Petersburg Times newspaper in St. Petersburg, Florida[158]
* The Star-Ledger newspaper in Newark, New Jersey [159]
* The Star Press newspaper in Muncie, Indiana[160]
* The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina[161]
* The Stranger newspaper in Seattle, Washington[162]
* The Tampa Tribune newspaper in Tampa Bay, Florida[163]
* TimesDaily newspaper in Florence, Alabama[164]
* Times-Standard newspaper in Eureka, California[165]
* The Times-Tribune newspaper in Scranton, Pennsylvania[166]
* The Toledo Blade newspaper in Toledo, Ohio[167]
* The Trenton Times newspaper in Trenton, New Jersey[168]
* Tuscaloosa News newspaper in Tuscaloosa, Alabama[169]
* Valley News newspaper in Lebanon, New Hampshire[170]
* Woodbine Twiner newspaper in Woodbine, Iowa[171]
Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 1466 } Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Posted: Fri 17 Oct 2008 16:58 Post subject:
Washington Post
Quote:
Barack Obama for President
Friday, October 17, 2008; A24
THE NOMINATING process this year produced two unusually talented and qualified presidential candidates. There are few public figures we have respected more over the years than Sen. John McCain. Yet it is without ambivalence that we endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president.
The choice is made easy in part by Mr. McCain's disappointing campaign, above all his irresponsible selection of a running mate who is not ready to be president. It is made easy in larger part, though, because of our admiration for Mr. Obama and the impressive qualities he has shown during this long race. Yes, we have reservations and concerns, almost inevitably, given Mr. Obama's relatively brief experience in national politics. But we also have enormous hopes.
Mr. Obama is a man of supple intelligence, with a nuanced grasp of complex issues and evident skill at conciliation and consensus-building. At home, we believe, he would respond to the economic crisis with a healthy respect for markets tempered by justified dismay over rising inequality and an understanding of the need for focused regulation. Abroad, the best evidence suggests that he would seek to maintain U.S. leadership and engagement, continue the fight against terrorists, and wage vigorous diplomacy on behalf of U.S. values and interests. Mr. Obama has the potential to become a great president. Given the enormous problems he would confront from his first day in office, and the damage wrought over the past eight years, we would settle for very good.
The first question, in fact, might be why either man wants the job. Start with two ongoing wars, both far from being won; an unstable, nuclear-armed Pakistan; a resurgent Russia menacing its neighbors; a terrorist-supporting Iran racing toward nuclear status; a roiling Middle East; a rising China seeking its place in the world. Stir in the threat of nuclear or biological terrorism, the burdens of global poverty and disease, and accelerating climate change. Domestically, wages have stagnated while public education is failing a generation of urban, mostly minority children. Now add the possibility of the deepest economic trough since the Great Depression.
Not even his fiercest critics would blame President Bush for all of these problems, and we are far from being his fiercest critic. But for the past eight years, his administration, while pursuing some worthy policies (accountability in education, homeland security, the promotion of freedom abroad), has also championed some stunningly wrongheaded ones (fiscal recklessness, torture, utter disregard for the planet's ecological health) and has acted too often with incompetence, arrogance or both. A McCain presidency would not equal four more years, but outside of his inner circle, Mr. McCain would draw on many of the same policymakers who have brought us to our current state. We believe they have richly earned, and might even benefit from, some years in the political wilderness.
OF COURSE, Mr. Obama offers a great deal more than being not a Republican. There are two sets of issues that matter most in judging these candidacies. The first has to do with restoring and promoting prosperity and sharing its fruits more evenly in a globalizing era that has suppressed wages and heightened inequality. Here the choice is not a close call. Mr. McCain has little interest in economics and no apparent feel for the topic. His principal proposal, doubling down on the Bush tax cuts, would exacerbate the fiscal wreckage and the inequality simultaneously. Mr. Obama's economic plan contains its share of unaffordable promises, but it pushes more in the direction of fairness and fiscal health. Both men have pledged to tackle climate change.
Mr. Obama also understands that the most important single counter to inequality, and the best way to maintain American competitiveness, is improved education, another subject of only modest interest to Mr. McCain. Mr. Obama would focus attention on early education and on helping families so that another generation of poor children doesn't lose out. His budgets would be less likely to squeeze out important programs such as Head Start and Pell grants. Though he has been less definitive than we would like, he supports accountability measures for public schools and providing parents choices by means of charter schools.
A better health-care system also is crucial to bolstering U.S. competitiveness and relieving worker insecurity. Mr. McCain is right to advocate an end to the tax favoritism showed to employer plans. This system works against lower-income people, and Mr. Obama has disparaged the McCain proposal in deceptive ways. But Mr. McCain's health plan doesn't do enough to protect those who cannot afford health insurance. Mr. Obama hopes to steer the country toward universal coverage by charting a course between government mandates and individual choice, though we question whether his plan is affordable or does enough to contain costs.
The next president is apt to have the chance to nominate one or more Supreme Court justices. Given the court's current precarious balance, we think Obama appointees could have a positive impact on issues from detention policy and executive power to privacy protections and civil rights.
Overshadowing all of these policy choices may be the financial crisis and the recession it is likely to spawn. It is almost impossible to predict what policies will be called for by January, but certainly the country will want in its president a combination of nimbleness and steadfastness -- precisely the qualities Mr. Obama has displayed during the past few weeks. When he might have been scoring political points against the incumbent, he instead responsibly urged fellow Democrats in Congress to back Mr. Bush's financial rescue plan. He has surrounded himself with top-notch, experienced, centrist economic advisers -- perhaps the best warranty that, unlike some past presidents of modest experience, Mr. Obama will not ride into town determined to reinvent every policy wheel. Some have disparaged Mr. Obama as too cool, but his unflappability over the past few weeks -- indeed, over two years of campaigning -- strikes us as exactly what Americans might want in their president at a time of great uncertainty.
ON THE SECOND set of issues, having to do with keeping America safe in a dangerous world, it is a closer call. Mr. McCain has deep knowledge and a longstanding commitment to promoting U.S. leadership and values.
But Mr. Obama, as anyone who reads his books can tell, also has a sophisticated understanding of the world and America's place in it. He, too, is committed to maintaining U.S. leadership and sticking up for democratic values, as his recent defense of tiny Georgia makes clear. We hope he would navigate between the amoral realism of some in his party and the counterproductive cocksureness of the current administration, especially in its first term. On most policies, such as the need to go after al-Qaeda, check Iran's nuclear ambitions and fight HIV/AIDS abroad, he differs little from Mr. Bush or Mr. McCain. But he promises defter diplomacy and greater commitment to allies. His team overstates the likelihood that either of those can produce dramatically better results, but both are certainly worth trying.
Mr. Obama's greatest deviation from current policy is also our biggest worry: his insistence on withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq on a fixed timeline. Thanks to the surge that Mr. Obama opposed, it may be feasible to withdraw many troops during his first two years in office. But if it isn't -- and U.S. generals have warned that the hard-won gains of the past 18 months could be lost by a precipitous withdrawal -- we can only hope and assume that Mr. Obama would recognize the strategic importance of success in Iraq and adjust his plans.
We also can only hope that the alarming anti-trade rhetoric we have heard from Mr. Obama during the campaign would give way to the understanding of the benefits of trade reflected in his writings. A silver lining of the financial crisis may be the flexibility it gives Mr. Obama to override some of the interest groups and members of Congress in his own party who oppose open trade, as well as to pursue the entitlement reform that he surely understands is needed.
IT GIVES US no pleasure to oppose Mr. McCain. Over the years, he has been a force for principle and bipartisanship. He fought to recognize Vietnam, though some of his fellow ex-POWs vilified him for it. He stood up for humane immigration reform, though he knew Republican primary voters would punish him for it. He opposed torture and promoted campaign finance reform, a cause that Mr. Obama injured when he broke his promise to accept public financing in the general election campaign. Mr. McCain staked his career on finding a strategy for success in Iraq when just about everyone else in Washington was ready to give up. We think that he, too, might make a pretty good president.
But the stress of a campaign can reveal some essential truths, and the picture of Mr. McCain that emerged this year is far from reassuring. To pass his party's tax-cut litmus test, he jettisoned his commitment to balanced budgets. He hasn't come up with a coherent agenda, and at times he has seemed rash and impulsive. And we find no way to square his professed passion for America's national security with his choice of a running mate who, no matter what her other strengths, is not prepared to be commander in chief.
ANY PRESIDENTIAL vote is a gamble, and Mr. Obama's résumé is undoubtedly thin. We had hoped, throughout this long campaign, to see more evidence that Mr. Obama might stand up to Democratic orthodoxy and end, as he said in his announcement speech, "our chronic avoidance of tough decisions."
But Mr. Obama's temperament is unlike anything we've seen on the national stage in many years. He is deliberate but not indecisive; eloquent but a master of substance and detail; preternaturally confident but eager to hear opposing points of view. He has inspired millions of voters of diverse ages and races, no small thing in our often divided and cynical country. We think he is the right man for a perilous moment.
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.
WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president on Sunday, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called its narrow focus on irrelevant personal attacks over a serious approach to challenges he called unprecedented.
Powell, who for many years was considered the most likely candidate to become the first African-American president, said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was not supporting Obama because of his race. He said he had watched both Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for many months and thought “either one of them would be a good president.”
But he said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks — especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate — had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment.
“I don’t believe [Palin] is ready to be president of the United States,” Powell said flatly. By contrast, Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, “is ready to be president on day one.”
Powell also said he was “troubled” by Republican personal attacks on Obama, especially false intimations that Obama was Muslim and Republicans’ recent focus on Obama’s alleged connections to William Ayers, the founder of the radical ’60 Weather Underground.
Stressing that Obama was a lifelong Christian, Powell denounced Republican tactics that he said were insulting not only to to Obama but also to Muslims.
“The really right answer is what if he is?” Powell said, praising the contributions of millions of Muslim citizens to American society.
“I look at these kind of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me,” Powell said. “Over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party has become narrower and narrower.”
In an interview Sunday on Fox News, McCain said he was not surprised by the announcement.
“I’ve always admired and respected General Powell,” said McCain, who cited the endorsements he had received from former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, James Baker and Lawrence Eagleburger. “We have a respectful disagreement.”
Bolstering Obama’s international credentials
Powell, a retired Army general who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first President Bush before becoming secretary of state in the current administration, is one of the most highly decorated military officers of modern times and an admired figure in both parties. The Obama campaign is likely to cite the endorsement as an answer to critics and undecided voters who have questioned the foreign policy credential of Obama, a first-term senator whose national experience amounts to four years in the Senate.
Powell said a major part of his decision to turn his back on his own party was his conclusion that Obama was the better option to repair frayed U.S. relations with allies overseas.
“This is the time for outreach,” Powell said, saying the next president would have to “reach out and show the world there is a new administration that is willing to reach out.”
In particular, he said, he welcomed Obama’s president to “talk to people we haven’t talked to,” a reference to Obama’s controversial statement that he would be open to direct diplomacy with Iranian leaders.
“I think that [Obama] has a definite way of doing business that will serve us well,” Powell said.
Won’t campaign for Obama
As recently as a month ago, Powell said that electing an African-American president would be “electrifying” for the world but that he remained undecided. The unsteadiness of the Republican campaign in recent weeks, especially on the economic crisis, went a long way toward pushing him off the fence, he said.
“It isn’t easy for me to disappoint Senator McCain as I have this morning,” said Powell, who emphasized that he would not campaign for Obama because of his admiration for McCain’s long record of service in the military and in Congress.
But as he examined both campaigns in the last few weeks, he said, he became “concerned” that “in the case of Mr. McCain, he was a little unsure how to deal with the economic problems.”
“Every day, there was a different approach,” he said, adding that he also “would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court.”
McCain would be a good president, Powell said, but Obama is “a transformational figure” who would be an “exceptional” leader.
“I truly believe that at this point in Amserica’s history we need a president who will not just continue ... basically the policies we have followed in recent years,” he said. “We need a president with transformational qualities.”
For that reason, he said, “I will be voting for Barack Obama.”
I don't think this will have much effect, but to take up news time, take it away from McCain...which is good. You want to roll out things like this in the last 2.5 weeks to keep yourself in the media positively and keep your opponent out the media.
Anyway I grew up with these type of people in rural Eastern Ohio, well until I was almost a teen, I know how they think.
Just like the video where the white Ohioans at the Palin Rally said that if Obama wins the "negroes will take over", he is a "second stringer", he is a "Arab terrorist"...he thinks white people are trash..
The last one was interesting...as I don't believe Obama thinks half his family is trash...he definately did not speak of his mother or grandparents that way in his book, although he did comment about some issues his grandfather had in life.
What they really mean is "I'm afraid because he is black he thinks about me the way I think about black people".
it is really that simple.
Apply that to George Will and Limbaugh, well especially the latter.
I saw the movie "W" last night with my wife and I expected bias, but if half of the stuff in that movie was true, no, if even 1/4 was true than Powell has good reason not to want a similar administration in power.
Powell has also always been a moderate Republican, just slight right of center., he has never been an ideologue, but a pragmatist.
I don't think this will have much effect, but to take up news time, take it away from McCain...which is good. You want to roll out things like this in the last 2.5 weeks to keep yourself in the media positively and keep your opponent out the media.
Anyway I grew up with these type of people in rural Eastern Ohio, well until I was almost a teen, I know how they think.
Just like the video where the white Ohioans at the Palin Rally said that if Obama wins the "negroes will take over", he is a "second stringer", he is a "Arab terrorist"...he thinks white people are trash..
The last one was interesting...as I don't believe Obama thinks half his family is trash...he definately did not speak of his mother or grandparents that way in his book, although he did comment about some issues his grandfather had in life.
What they really mean is "I'm afraid because he is black he thinks about me the way I think about black people".
it is really that simple.
Apply that to George Will and Limbaugh, well especially the latter.
I saw the movie "W" last night with my wife and I expected bias, but if half of the stuff in that movie was true, no, if even 1/4 was true than Powell has good reason not to want a similar administration in power.
Powell has also always been a moderate Republican, just slight right of center., he has never been an ideologue, but a pragmatist.
Please, this thread is just for media endoresments. Debates and comments can be made in separate threads. Thank you.
I don't think this will have much effect, but to take up news time, take it away from McCain...which is good. You want to roll out things like this in the last 2.5 weeks to keep yourself in the media positively and keep your opponent out the media.
Anyway I grew up with these type of people in rural Eastern Ohio, well until I was almost a teen, I know how they think.
Just like the video where the white Ohioans at the Palin Rally said that if Obama wins the "negroes will take over", he is a "second stringer", he is a "Arab terrorist"...he thinks white people are trash..
The last one was interesting...as I don't believe Obama thinks half his family is trash...he definately did not speak of his mother or grandparents that way in his book, although he did comment about some issues his grandfather had in life.
What they really mean is "I'm afraid because he is black he thinks about me the way I think about black people".
it is really that simple.
Apply that to George Will and Limbaugh, well especially the latter.
I saw the movie "W" last night with my wife and I expected bias, but if half of the stuff in that movie was true, no, if even 1/4 was true than Powell has good reason not to want a similar administration in power.
Powell has also always been a moderate Republican, just slight right of center., he has never been an ideologue, but a pragmatist.
Please, this thread is just for media endoresments. Debates and comments can be made in separate threads. Thank you.
Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 1466 } Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Posted: Mon 20 Oct 2008 12:55 Post subject:
NY Daily News
Quote:
Daily News endorses Obama for President: He has the promise to renew America at home and abroad
Updated Saturday, October 18th 2008, 8:31 PM
Brandon/AP
The need for a fresh start in America has grown markedly in the two years of this presidential campaign, and became imperative as the crippled financial system punishes workers, families and retirees in the country.
The U.S. is in want of leadership that repairs a damaged economy, restores faith in government as an engine for the common good and returns competence to the White House after the spectacular failures of the Bush administration.
Barack Obama holds the greater promise of accomplishing the mission than does John McCain. The Daily News endorses the 47-year-old Democrat, the first black American to win a major party nomination, for President.
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Even his detractors agree Obama is an extraordinary politician. His campaign elevated a freshman senator to preeminence with a message that he represents a chance to make fundamental change in Washington.
Gifted in oratory and gracefully bearing the mantle of history, Obama stood as the repudiation of the record of George W. Bush. No one capitalized on the blunders of the last eight years more skillfully than he did, while aligning a liberal Democratic agenda with the country's decided shift away from the status quo.
Obama has been called audacious, and he certainly is. But his confidence is supported by both a high intelligence and a clear-eyed pragmatism, qualities that enabled him to best more established competitors - now to stand within reach of breaking America's ultimate racial barrier.
RELATED: GOOD NEWS IN RED STATES FOR BARACK OBAMA
A brilliant mind combined with practicality would well serve any President, and the reserves shown by Obama suggest he would bring nimbleness and judgment to the Oval Office. So does his crucial vow to reach across the aisle for solutions frozen in partisan gridlock.
Obama has the potential to reinvigorate a nation fed up with the dysfunctional behavior of its leaders. But he would face tests - deciding, not speaking; governing, not campaigning - that dwarf any he encountered in his slim 12 years in the Illinois Legislature and the U.S. Senate.
The challenges are of historic proportions and growing.
The American standard of living is threatened with severe erosion from the global financial crisis. There's a war in Iraq to wind responsibly down, and there's a war in Afghanistan that demands smart new strategies. Iran is defiantly acquiring nuclear capability; Russia is flexing its muscles. Energy independence and global warming demand action.
And, never forget, the home shores must be protected.
The times call for boldness backed by expertise, not by ideology. We support Obama in the expectation that he would tap the brightest minds, regardless of political affiliation. He would need seasoned advice on every front, not least in adjusting from the rhetoric of a hasty Iraq withdrawal to the facts-on-the-ground duty of commander in chief.
We also expect that Obama would fulfill that oft-stated pledge to bring bipartisanship to the White House in forging solutions that work. That spirit will be essential to engaging the gears of government on issues that cannot wait. What Obama gives up - and some of his ideas must be tossed or refocused - would strengthen a presidency dedicated to the welcome notion of advancing the interests of the average Joe and Jane.
John McCain is an outstanding U.S. senator and a man of character. His courage in the face of torture and imprisonment as a Navy flier in North Vietnam met the highest standards of honor.
Typical for McCain, he fought his way to winning the nomination of a resistant party, and the Republicans are the better for it. In what was often predicted to be a Democratic blowout, McCain has kept the contest competitive.
His strongest suits are foreign affairs and the military. Tough-minded on both, he was dead-on regarding Iraq. From the start, he advocated more boots on the ground so the military could provide security to the Iraqi people, not just topple Saddam Hussein. Then, in the war's darkest hours, he held fast against overwhelming opposition to urge a bigger troop deployment.
Thus was born the surge that opened the way for Iraqis to begin building a civil society and pointed America toward withdrawal by the next President - perhaps, ironically, Obama.
McCain's insistence on persevering in Iraq - and on getting it right - reflects a core belief in promoting U.S. interests with a wise use of America's assets, from ideals to arsenal.
He has complemented global savvy with walk-the-walk bipartisanship. Among the highlights were battles for immigration and campaign finance reform, as well as a readiness to attack pork-barrel spending by both parties.
McCain's misfortune is that he is the standard-bearer of a party whose leadership, starting at the top, ran the U.S. onto the rocks.
There is no question he would bring change - but not as much as is needed after a presidency that enriched the wealthy over the working and middle classes with excessive tax cuts; gorged on spending; failed to address America's energy needs and global warming; undermined the credibility of U.S. military power, and got blindsided by the Wall Street meltdown, thanks in part to deregulatory zeal.
With the latest poll showing that fully 90% of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, the Republican Party has precious little credibility in laying claim to continued leadership. And the necessity of making a sharp break became all the more pressing with the sudden arrival of financial distress.
Unfortunately, a centerpiece of McCain's economic plan is an extension of Bush tax policy - a bad idea anytime, but horrible in these newly dire circumstances.
As the fates would have it, now is simply not the moment for this fine public servant.
Millions of Americans vest great hope in Barack Obama - and there is good reason why. It has been a long time since many have felt the government was in their corner. And here came an accomplished, fresh figure - a black man, at that - with plans for restoring the faith.
The agenda is sweeping, but the theme is clear. Whether on tax fairness or health care or the cost of college, Obama pushes the balance toward the working and middle classes and those farther down the ladder.
Still, reservations persist about specifics of his proposals.
On the international front, Obama faces tough calls regarding the war in Iraq. When he visited the country in July, Sunni leaders pleaded with him to drop the thought of pulling out before they and Shiite chiefs had forged working political relationships.
The Sunnis were right, because bringing the troops home prematurely could well unleash an upsurge in violence with disastrous consequences. Among them: an opening for Iran to play a dominant role in Iraq, the alienation of Sunni-led countries in the Mideast and a dramatic loss of credibility in Afghanistan.
Obama would have to recognize that combat troops must stay in Iraq at appropriate levels until the situation is resolved.
Domestically, Obama would have to shift to some more effective approaches while trimming sails to match fiscal realities.
It's a solid idea to raise the low tax rates enjoyed by the wealthy, but it would be counterproductive to increase capital gains levies. The first would boost revenue and fairness; the second would crimp investment.
Providing tax breaks to those at the low end is attractive, but Obama would achieve greater economic stimulus with aggressive spending on infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges and, especially, mass transit.
Enabling homeowners to get relief from mortgage debt in bankruptcy court, as Obama proposes, would further disrupt housing finance. But directing the government to buy up troubled mortgages would help stabilize housing prices and bail out families, not just Wall Street.
In sum, we are banking on practicality trumping political dogma in an Obama White House. The fantasy that the U.S. can move toward energy independence without fully committing to domestic drilling and nuclear power must be banished. The reality that America can't make strides toward universal health care without fiscal discipline elsewhere must sink in.
At this critical juncture, the nation must elect a President who will renew bipartisanship and hard-headed pragmatism to rescue America's standard of living, secure the country from global threats, whether of arms or of climate, and lay a foundation to meet 21st century challenges.
That is our hope for Barack Obama.
Whether on tax
fairness or health care or the cost of college, Obama pushes the balance toward the working and middle classes and those further down the ladder.
Joined: 07 Feb 2007 {Posts: 1301 } Location: Lookin DC Metro, Feelin Geneva
Posted: Tue 21 Oct 2008 14:19 Post subject:
Quote:
26 Papers That Backed Bush in 2004 Move to Obama
By Dexter Hill
Published: October 20, 2008 9:45 PM ET
NEWYORK Taking a look at our daily endorsement tally so far (see link below), the Obama-Biden ticket has a hefty lead in both total newspapers and total circulation. But another figure that favors the Democratic candidates is the number of newspapers that have endorsed Sen. Obama despite supporting President Bush’s reelection in 2004.
At least twenty-six newspapers have switched their support to the Democrat, while only four newspapers (all in the South) endorsing Sen. McCain supported John Kerry in 2004.
In California alone, the Obama-Biden ticket picked-up six newspapers that endorsed President Bush in 2004.
He also gained a few papers, such as the Los Angeles Times and Cleveland's Plain Dealer that did no endorse either candidate in 2004.
Our full tally of all endorsements, with Obama ahead by about 115 to 40, updated Mondayhere.
The switchers:
BARACK OBAMA (26)
CALIFORNIA
Long Beach Press Telegram (B): 85,595
Pasadena Star-News (B): 27,894
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (B): 40,051
The (Stockton) Record (B): 57,486
San Bernardino Sun (B): 54,315
Tri-Valley Herald (B): 29,759
COLORADO
The Denver Post (B): 225,193
CONNECTICUT
New Haven Register (B): 72,613
FLORIDA
Naples Daily-News (B): 66,272
ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune (B): 541,663
INDIANA
Palladium-Item (Richmond) (B): 15,453
IOWA
Mason City Globe Gazette (B): 17,666
NEW JERSEY
Asbury Park Press (Neptune) (B): 140,882
NEW MEXICO
Las Cruces Sun-News (B): 21,341
NEW YORK
Daily News (B): 703,137
OHIO
Hamilton Journal-News (B): 19,432
The Repository (Canton) (B): 65,789
The Times-Reporter (New Philadelphia) (B): 22,428
OREGON
Yamhill Valley News-Register (McMinnville) (B): 10,921
PENNSYLVANIA
The Express-Times (Easton) (B): 44,561
Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 1466 } Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Posted: Fri 24 Oct 2008 15:33 Post subject:
Great!!! That was exactly what I was looking for!!!!!
A Reuters article on the New York Times endoresment: the real one will follow:
Quote:
New York Times endorses Obama for president
Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:23am EDT Obama holds 10-pt lead on McCain in U.S. race.
2:30am EDTNEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Times endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for U.S. president on Thursday, saying he had "met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change."
The Times posted its endorsement on its Internet site on Thursday evening and was to publish it in Friday editions of the newspaper.
Earlier this year, the newspaper endorsed New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, but it said Obama had long ago erased the reservations that led it to make that decision.
"He has drawn in legions of new voters with powerful messages of hope and possibility and calls for shared sacrifice and social responsibility," the Times said. "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."
The newspaper declared that the choice between Obama and Republican John McCain was easy.
"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," it said.
The endorsement was not unexpected. The Times endorsed Democrats John Kerry in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000.
According to Editor & Publisher magazine, Obama is outpacing McCain in newspaper endorsements by about three to one, even winning the nod of the Chicago Tribune, the first time it has endorsed a Democrat for president.
However such endorsements are considered to have little influence on voters, especially in presidential races.
(Reporting by Alan Elsner; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.
Alaska's founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.
Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.
Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.
Since his early acknowledgement that economic policy is not his strong suit, Sen. McCain has stumbled and fumbled badly in dealing with the accelerating crisis as it emerged. He declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" at 9 a.m. one day and by 11 a.m. was describing an economy in crisis. He is both a longtime advocate of less market regulation and a supporter of the huge taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout. His behavior in this crisis -- erratic is a kind description -- shows him to be ill-equipped to lead the essential effort of reining in a runaway financial system and setting an anxious nation on course to economic recovery.
Sen. Obama warned regulators and the nation 19 months ago that the subprime lending crisis was a disaster in the making. Sen. McCain backed tighter rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but didn't do much to advance that legislation. Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it. It is easy to look at Sen. Obama and see a return to the smart, bipartisan economic policies of the last Democratic administration in Washington, which left the country with the momentum of growth and a budget surplus that President George Bush has squandered.
On the most important issue of the day, Sen. Obama is a clear choice.
Sen. McCain describes himself as a maverick, by which he seems to mean that he spent 25 years trying unsuccessfully to persuade his own party to follow his bipartisan, centrist lead. Sadly, maverick John McCain didn't show up for the campaign. Instead we have candidate McCain, who embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years.
It is Sen. Obama who truly promises fundamental change in Washington. You need look no further than the guilt-by-association lies and sound-bite distortions of the degenerating McCain campaign to see how readily he embraces the divisive, fear-mongering tactics of Karl Rove. And while Sen. McCain points to the fragile success of the troop surge in stabilizing conditions in Iraq, it is also plain that he was fundamentally wrong about the more crucial early decisions. Contrary to his assurances, we were not greeted as liberators; it was not a short, easy war; and Americans -- not Iraqi oil -- have had to pay for it. It was Sen. Obama who more clearly saw the danger ahead.
The unqualified endorsement of Sen. Obama by a seasoned, respected soldier and diplomat like Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican icon, should reassure all Americans that the Democratic candidate will pass muster as commander in chief.
On a matter of parochial interest, Sen. Obama opposes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but so does Sen. McCain. We think both are wrong, and hope a President Obama can be convinced to support environmentally responsible development of that resource.
Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she's a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.
Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.
Note: When posting an article not written by yourself, please post the article around the quote html. It makes for better clearity, IMO.
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