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The legacy of George Bush, abetted by an enabling Congress during his first six years, will cast a heavy shadow over the next presidency.
An unnecessary war in Iraq. A so-far bungled effort to deprive al-Qaida of its base in Afghanistan and Pakistan. A failure to secure our ports and our borders. Shameful acquiescence to torture and prisoner abuse abroad. Dangerous violations of civil protections at home. A breathtaking national debt. Unaddressed challenges with energy and climate change. Deteriorating infrastructure across America. Health care that's out of reach to millions and sorely expensive to those who touch it. Threats to baby boomer retirements. So many mortgages in default that the banks can't foreclose on them all. The list goes on.
The ineptitude, corruption and wrongheadedness that have poisoned America's ability to address these challenges are not the work of one man, but they do add up to one disastrous presidency.
No wonder McCain spends half his energy running against the record of his own party.
Unfortunately, he can't run fast enough. He was an early cheerleader to go to war in Iraq. He proposes to continue the spend-and-borrow policies of Bush. Despite his age and history of serious health issues, he selected as his backup a person who is disastrously ignorant of national and international issues.
McCain's campaign does not offer the promise or hope this country needs.
Barack Obama's does.
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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Daily News endorses Obama for President:
He has the promise to renew America at home and abroad
Updated Sunday, October 19th 2008, 2:22 AM
The need for a fresh start in America has grown markedly in the two years of this presidential campaign, and became imperative as the crippled financial system punishes workers, families and retirees in the country.
The U.S. is in want of leadership that repairs a damaged economy, restores faith in government as an engine for the common good and returns competence to the White House after the spectacular failures of the Bush administration.
Barack Obama holds the greater promise of accomplishing the mission than does John McCain. The Daily News endorses the 47-year-old Democrat, the first black American to win a major party nomination, for President.
Even his detractors agree Obama is an extraordinary politician. His campaign elevated a freshman senator to preeminence with a message that he represents a chance to make fundamental change in Washington.
Gifted in oratory and gracefully bearing the mantle of history, Obama stood as the repudiation of the record of George W. Bush. No one capitalized on the blunders of the last eight years more skillfully than he did, while aligning a liberal Democratic agenda with the country's decided shift away from the status quo.
