2
2
1
The article goes on to say that the editors can't believe McCain is for
change -- despite his maverick record -- in part because he voted with
President Bush 90 percent of the time and in part because McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate was a "blatant overture to women voters and evangelical Christians" that backfired when Palin "proved she is not
prepared to be a heartbeat away from the presidency."
But in another editorial that appeared in the same edition, editors wrote
that "no one is better prepared than John McCain to serve as commander in chief" as the country operates in Iraq and Afghanistan, works with Pakistan
to help kill or capture the perpetrators of Sept. 11.
The paper wrote that McCain has stood up to generals, would send chills down the spines of pork-barrel spenders and understands that "raising taxes to 'spread the wealth' is not a form of patriotism, but a burden -- to Joe the plumber and other Americans trying to make ends meet."
"And his character is unassailable. The selfless and courageous way he
conducted himself during 5 1/2 years as a POW says much about the man,"
reads the dissenting opinion piece.
The dissent also took issue with Obama's hiring of chief strategist David
Axelrod, who the paper says "helped lead Mayor John Street's race-baiting re-election campaign."
According to Editor & Publisher magazine, several newspapers this year have switched their endorsements from the Republican candidate in 2004 to the Democratic candidate in 2008, including The Austin American Statesmen, The Houston Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post and the New York Daily News.
While McCain was able to keep the Columbus Dispatch, the Dallas Morning News and the San Antonio Express-News in the red columnched from the Democratic candidate in 2004 to the Republican candidate in 2008.
However, a split decision by an editorial board -- the way the Philadelphia
paper came out on Sunday -- is very unusual. In 2004, the York, Pa., Daily
Record endorsed President Bush but offered a dissenting voice. In 1984, the
Miami Herald opinion editor resigned when the publisher overruled the
editorial board and offered the newspaper's endorsement to President Reagan over challenger Walter Mondale.
___________
TRI-CITY HERALD KENNEWICK-PASCO-RICHLAND WASHINGTON
President: Barack Obama
John McCain's life story is far different than Barack Obama's, but they both are inspirational.
McCain overcame imprisonment and torture in Vietnam to become a leading spokesman for the Republican party, while cherishing the independence that makes him, even as a U.S. senator with considerable seniority, a maverick.
Obama, the child of mixed-race parentage and raised by a single mother, electrified the nation when he addressed the Democratic National Convention in 2004 when still merely seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate. He went on to win, defeating Republican Allen Keyes with 70 percent of the vote.
He is the first black American in history to be nominated for the presidency by a major political party.
If current polls are to be believed and hold up to election day, he will become the first black president of the United States.
