Sunday, October 26, 2008

Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama for President

The Anchorage Daily News has endorsed Barack Obama for president. The paper acknowledges that after 50 years of statehood, Alaska for the first time has put forward a serious candidate for national office and calls Palin's nomination for vice president "a signal event" in the state's history.

Even so, the paper suggests that the election is not about Sarah Palin but about her running mate, John McCain. It goes on to describe the uneven hand that McCain has applied to the economic crisis, observing that "erratic is a kind description," and observes that his behavior makes him ill-suited to lead the country out of its current straits. It then favorably compares Obama's behavior in the crisis and indicates its belief that he is better-suited to the hour. It also observes that Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama should allay any fears concerning Obama's ability to serve as the commander-in-chief.

Finally, the endorsement returns to the subject of Alaska's governor and notes her evident charisma and acknowledges she has a bright future. Even so, it concludes:
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.
DemConWatch observes that as of Friday, newspapers with a total circulation of 12.8 million persons had endorsed Obama while newspapers with a total circulation of 2.5 million persons had endorsed McCain.

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