Well, now's about the time we're going to see a lot of newspaper editorial boards' endorsements for the 2008 election. We've already seen a few very positive endorsements for Barack Obama, and now another one has gone our way.
The good news here is that it's in what is now a swing state, Missouri. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is going to be running a strong endorsement of Barack Obama.
Read on for excerpts...
The endorsement that the paper plans on running in its Sunday paper is already online. Here are some choice excerpts.
Over the past nine months, Mr. Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, 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. 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.
The board goes on to describe its criteria for endorsement: how important character, intellect, and life experience is in choosing a president. They could not be more clear:
On all counts, the consensus was clear: Barack Obama of Illinois should be the next president of the United States....
Finally, and this might be the most positive statement not just about Barack Obama, but also about our country in general.
Finally, only at this late point do we note that Barack Obama is an African-American. Because of who he is and how he has run his campaign, that fact has become almost incidental to most Americans. Instead, his countrymen are weighing his talents, his values and his beliefs, judging him not by the color of his skin, but the content of his character.
That says something profound and good — about him as a candidate and about us as a nation.
Indeed. They put it far better than I ever could.
So here's just another drop in the bucket; and I expect many more in the weeks to come. However, this should help quite a bit to turn Missouri blue as its people look for a strong leader who represents the best of this country.