Major Endorsements For Obama

With Election Day rapidly approaching, Illinois Senator Barack Obama has begun to amass an impressive list of endorsements from some of the nation’s most widely read daily newspapers, some that would have traditionally been likely to go to a Republican.

Not surprisingly, the Chicago Sun-Times, one of two major newspapers of Barack Obama's hometown, has endorsed the Illinois Senator. However, in a stunning move, The Chicago Tribune has endorsed the Illinois Senator. In Fact, this past week both The Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, two conservative leaning papers, endorsed the Democrat from Illinois. It is the first time in those paper’s histories that they have endorsed a Democrat for the White House. Both the Times and Tribune are owned by Chicago-based Tribune Company. In its endorsement the Tribune tried to assuage voters who aren't as familiar with Obama as Illinois residents are stating in part: Many Americans say they're uneasy about Obama. He's pretty new to them. We can provide some assurance. We have known Obama since he entered politics a dozen years ago. We have watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator to the Democratic Party's nominee for president. We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready. The Los Angeles Times said in its endorsement titled Barack Obama For President: 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. Obama's other high-profile newspaper endorsements came from The Washington Post and the Atlanta Constitution-Journal. The Post offered: 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. Finally in its endorsement titled 'Obama is the choice', major Atlanta paper said: Different challenges require different strengths. Obama has demonstrated a calm, thoughtful leadership style that fits this time and this challenge well. He has laid out a wiser, more measured approach toward foreign policy that elevates diplomacy and negotiation while reserving the use of force if necessary to protect this country and its allies in a dangerous world. He understands that international respect and admiration can’t be forced at gunpoint. Its not only the endorsement of these papers that should have the John McCain camp concerned. There have been a large number of leading Republican and conservative politicians, pundits, personalities and publications jumping off the ship of the Republican candidate. Now there is newly fueled speculation that an old confidant of the Arizona Senator possibly making a highly publicized endorsement tomorrow. Colin Powell will be appearing on this weekend's edition of Meet The Press., and it will likely be a news making appearance, seeing that the retired General and former Secretary of State has kept a low profile since resigning from the latter position. A high profile endorsement from a highly respected conservative like Powell, along with the previous examples, could finally sink the McCain campaign to depths it cannot possibly recover from.