Today we see two more papers endorsing candidates, one from each side of the aisle.
The Des Moines Register endorses John McCain for the GOP and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats.
The reasoning for McCain can be found here and the reasoning for Clinton can be found here.
McCain:
In endorsing McCain, who was tied for fifth in the Register’s November Iowa Poll of likely caucus-goers, the newspaper’s editorial board wrote:
“Time after time, McCain has stuck to his beliefs in the face of opposition from other elected leaders and the public. He has criticized crop and ethanol subsidies during two presidential campaigns in Iowa. He bucked his party and president by opposing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. A year ago, in the face of growing criticism, he staunchly supported President Bush’s decision to increase troop strength in Iraq.
“McCain would enter the White House with deep knowledge of national-security and foreign-policy issues. He knows war, something we believe would make him reluctant to start one. He’s also a fierce defender of civil liberties. As a survivor of torture, he has stood resolutely against it. He pledges to start rebuilding America’s image abroad. …
“The force of John McCain’s moral authority could go a long way toward restoring Americans’ trust in government and inspiring new generations to believe in the goodness and greatness of America.”
They seem to ignore that the U.S. and Germany have very good relations, France has just voted in a very Pro-American Nicolas Sarkozy, Brown may be no Blair, but we still have good relations with them as well as Denmark.
Our image abroad stems from our strength and our determination to stand by our allies.
Nothing against McCain, but the Registers reasoning is hollow on that point.
Clinton:
The Register’s endorsement of Clinton comes at a time when polls show she has slipped behind Sen. Barack Obama in Iowa.
“Readiness to lead sets her apart from a constellation of possible stars in her party, particularly Barack Obama, who also demonstrates the potential to be a fine president,” the newspaper’s endorsement editorial concludes. “When Obama speaks before a crowd, he can be more inspirational than Clinton. Yet, with his relative inexperience, it’s hard to feel as confident he could accomplish the daunting agenda that lies ahead.”
This shows a complete amount of dishonesty because Clinton's "experience" is that of a First Lady and on things she was directly responsible for, such as the healthcare disaster during Bill's terms, she failed miserably.
Not only that, but Obama has held an elective office seat for longer than Clinton has, so in terms of "experience", he actually has more of it in elected office.
If I were still a Democrat I would be looking at their careers to make my judgments accordingly.
Obama, State Legislature, and Obama Senate Career, Obama 109th Congress and then 110th Congress.
Clinton, Senate Career, Clinton first term, , Clinton second term.
Make the comparisons yourself.
Again, the reasoning from the Des Moines Register is hollow and shows nothing more than a justification to themselves for choosing the least experienced candidate, which is Hillary Clinton.
Which brings us to the next paper that officially announced endorsements this weekend.
The Boston Globe, which endorsed, John McCain for the GOP and Barack Obama for the Democrats.
McCain:
'McCain’s views differ from those of this editorial page in a variety of ways. Yet McCain’s honesty has served him well,'' the board wrote. "As a lawmaker and as a candidate, he has done more than his share to transcend partisanship and promote an honest discussion of the problems facing the United States. He deserves the opportunity to represent his party in November’s election.'
Obama:
'The board, noting that Obama would be the country's first post-Baby Boom president if elected, addressed his relative lack of Washington experience compared to several of his Democratic rivals. ''It is true that all the other Democratic contenders have more conventional resumes, and have spent more time in Washington,'' the board wrote. "But that exposure has tended to give them a sense of government’s constraints. Obama is more open to its possibilities.'
Although they chose Obama, they also seem to declare when saying that all the other contenders have spent "more time in Washington", that somehow the position of First Lady should count as "experience".
One has to wonder how they would define experience.
The Union Leader also has another piece out on McCain today.
The common factor in the Union Leader, Des Moine Register, and Boston Globe's endorsements, is John McCain for the GOP, even if their reasoning is skewered, and once again Clinton and Obama seems to split the media establishment as well as the Democratic supporters that will be voting.
.