< Back to Front Page Text size – + Obama gets newspapers' support
Email|Link|Comments (4) Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor October 13, 2008 12:14 PM
Over the last few days, Democrat Barack Obama racked up a bevy of newspaper endorsements that, as much as they praised him, soured on Republican John McCain.

"We believe the person best equipped by temperament and intellect to firmly grasp the reins of government and guide it safely forward in these uncertain times is Barack Obama," said the Toledo Blade.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch opined that Obama "has emerged as the only truly transformative candidate in the race. In the crucible that is a presidential campaign, his intellect, his temperament and equanimity under pressure consistently have been impressive. He has surrounded himself with smart, capable advisers who have helped him refine thorough, nuanced policy positions. In a word, Mr. Obama has been presidential."

"Meanwhile, Mr. McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, became the incredible shrinking man," the Post-Dispatch added. "He shrank from his principled stands in favor of a humane immigration policy. He shrank from his universal condemnation of torture and his condemnation of the politics of smear. He even shrank from his own campaign slogan, 'County First,' by selecting the least qualified running mate since the Swedenborgian shipbuilder Arthur Sewall ran as William Jennings Bryan's No. 2 in 1896."

The Dayton Daily News complained that "Sen. McCain's campaign has been as disappointing as his move toward party orthodoxy. More than his opponent, he has run a relentless stream of commercials that have been discredited by nonpartisan fact-checkers. (Last week, all his ads were negative.) He has articulated no vision for the country other than to suggest that it should believe in him as an individual, as a war hero of independent judgment. His selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate was stunning. She is shockingly lacking in presidential qualifications. Some of Sen. McCain's most enthusiastic supporters have been forced to admit this. Her defenders say her resume compares well with Sen. Obama's, but it does not… [I]n a time of change, Sen. Obama is the more promising leader. With his agile mind, often pitch-perfect judgment and preternatural calm and self-confidence, he seems built for the job of sorting through this thing, if anybody can."

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the State Journal in Madison, Wisc., were among other papers backing Obama.