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We ask readers the same thing Obama asked delegates at the Democratic National Convention in 2004: "Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?"-
In America, hope has no ceiling for deposit or withdrawal. It's our ultimate insurance policy and our only safe investment. In this election, Barack Obama is the candidate who understands a simple calculus--hope equals change.
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ARLINGTON HEIGHTS DAILY HERALD CHICAGO'S LARGEST SUBURBAN DAILY
For president: Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois
Daily Herald Editorial Board
Published: 10/19/2008 12:02 AM
In almost every political campaign, as the candidates go before the voters, they describe the election as one of the most important in history. Usually, that overused description is little more than hyperbole, flattering rhetoric meant to engage the voters.
This election, it is actually true.
This year, our foreign policy is in disarray, our country is polarized, our politics is unduly partisan and out of touch, and our economy is on the brink of the worst financial calamity since the Great Depression.
To respond to those challenges, the nation needs a confident change in direction. We believe Sen. Barack Obama is best suited by temperament, judgment and vision to bring about that change, and we strongly endorse Illinois' favorite son for the presidency.
We don't oppose Sen. John McCain of Arizona. We endorsed him in the Republican primary, and we believe he is a true war hero who possesses many good attributes.
But Obama has the potential to offer more. He can be, as we said in January, a transcendent figure on the landscape of history.
He has, we believe, two great talents: A talent to inspire great masses of people, to stir the imagination and provide a call to action. And a talent for partnership rather than polarization, a genuine respect for disparate views that helps him see the country more as a whole than as a collection of interest groups.
His experience is limited, it's true. But his judgment, insight and calm stand him ready to lead the country and ready to manage the government. He, better than McCain, saw the engagement in Iraq for the mistake it was to become. He, better than McCain, provided reassurance when the financial crisis dawned.
This is a unique public servant, our Sen. Obama. He is practical, common sensed, inclusive and solutions-oriented.
He has a chance to be a great president. Not just the country's first black president, a notable achievement for him and for the nation. But also a great president.
He offers a new kind of politics. A politics that breaks down the old partisan walls. A politics that strives to bring people together. A politics of hope.
And we all need hope these days.
