ALASKA DAILY NEWS: Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

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NEW MEXICO SUN NEWS, Santa Fe  FRONT COVER OBAMA PHOTO: "OBAMA WINS!" First in US to endorse by declaring victory, with 38 US editorial page endorsements summary in cover article

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Des Moines Register

Editorial board endorses Obama for President, October 25, 2008

Barely two years into Barack Obama's first term as a U.S. senator, he
launched an unlikely presidential candidacy imbued, he acknowledged, with a "certain audacity." Casualties were mounting in Iraq, memories of the government's failed response to Hurricane Katrina still stung, and a
majority of Americans told pollsters they believed the country was on the wrong track. Yet in announcing his presidential bid, Obama outlined a bold, hopeful vision for America:

"Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. ... Let's be the generation that ensures our nation's workers are sharing in our prosperity. ... Let's be the generation that ends poverty in America. ... Let's be the generation that finally tackles our health-care crisis. ... Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil."

Critics immediately cast his talk of hope and change as naive and his lack of history on the national and international stage as too risky for the presidency. First test: winning the Iowa caucuses, perceived by many as an improbable feat for a black candidate in an overwhelmingly white state. But Obama believed in the power of his ideas and ideals, and the capacity of Americans to unite around them.

Eleven months later, after more than 80 days spent campaigning in the state, Iowans awarded him victory. They had heard his soaring oratory and sensed his uncommon intelligence, but they also witnessed much more: the consistency of his calls for unifying around common purpose, rather thanpandering to age-old divisions, and the way he remained unflappable and his staff disciplined no matter what tumult the campaign trail delivered. Those qualities have become even more pronounced this fall, during an increasingly negative general-election campaign against Republican Sen. John McCain and descent of the nation's economy into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. It has been Obama, not the more experienced McCain, who kept his center as events tilted crazily.

Obama has earned the Register's endorsement for the presidency because of his steadfastness in the face of uncertainty, his clear-eyed vision for a more just America and his potential for rallying the country to do great things.

Would work to strengthen the struggling middle class

Obama's life story embodies America's promise: that someone from modest means can study, work and get ahead. His parents - his mother from Kansas and his father from Kenya - divorced when he was a child. His grandparents helped raise him, and his mother made sure he studied hard. Eventually, he became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated magna cum laude. Before law school, though, he worked as a community organizer in Chicago and saw that for too many families, the American promise of opportunity had faded: Schools were poor, wages had stagnated and jobs had shifted overseas in a globalizing economy. Since his first visits to Iowa, Obama has correctly emphasized improved public schools and greater access to college as the investment that will buoy the American economy long-term. He favors a progressive tax policy, taxing those at the very highest rungs of income a little more to provide a little more help to those on the bottom rungs.

In a speech more than a year ago, long before this fall's financial crisis,
he decried the nation's rising income inequality and the notion "that the
market will correct all our misfortunes, and that there's no problem that
can't be solved by another tax break that the wealthy didn't need." Neither Obama nor McCain is an expert on the economy. But Obama appropriately places emphasis on strengthening the middle class. And as a state senator in Illinois, in the U.S. Senate and through the rigors of the campaign, he has shown a willingness to seek others' advice, listen and strive for consensus-crucial characteristics in troubled times. Other key parts of Obama's agenda would help shore up the middle class and the U.S. economy for decades to come: Expanding health-insurance coverage to more Americans will lessen the threat that illness will bring financial ruin. Pumping research dollars into developing clean alternatives to fossil fuels and investing in energyefficiency will maintain America's technological edge and create good-paying green-collar jobs.

McCain has run erratic, disappointing campaign

Judging by their records and statements, both Obama and McCain promise to correct the worst abuses of the Bush administration: its arrogant, go-it-alone approach to foreign policy and its insidious insistence thatmaintaining national security requires embrace of torture and sacrifice of fundamental civil liberties. McCain, like Obama, brought an appealing personal history to the campaign. He's a genuine American hero, enduring 5 ½ years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam while refusing early release, serving more than 20 years in the Navy, and taking unconventional stands that often opposed his party and popular sentiment during a quarter century in Congress. The Register's editorial board endorsed McCain for the Republican nomination and looked forward to a serious-minded contest between competing ideologies and worthy foes.

But it's as if McCain has lost his way, forfeiting principle for gain of a
few points in the polls. He put on hold his long-sought quest for comprehensive immigration reform. Though widely regarded as a man of honor, he has overseen a campaign premised on purposeful distortions about Obama and his record.

Worst of all, in grasping for political edge in his choice of a runningmate, he burdened his ticket and potentially the country with an individualutterly unqualified to ascend to the presidency. Before choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain emphasized the importance of experience and sound judgment in fighting terrorism and confronting a restive Russia and a rising China. He has also questioned Obama's readiness to be commander in chief. Then he picked a running mate who clearly isn't ready.

An appeal to bridge divisions, tackle problems

There are other good arguments for Obama's election. The next presidentmight make several Supreme Court nominations. Obama promises to appoint justices with an expansive view of constitutional rights and equal justice. McCain's appointments more likely would continue the court's conservative shift and threaten abortion rights, search-and-seizure protections and other individual liberties. Obama also is committed to withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq as quickly and as safely as possible. McCain talks about winning and success, but says little about when troops will come home. None of what Obama outlines will be easy, whether removing troops from Iraq without chaos or addressing climate change without stunting the economy.

In recent years, America has shrunk from big challenges, stymied by "the smallness of our politics" and "our chronic avoidance of tough decisions," as Obama put it in his announcement speech. Tackling big problems will first require Americans to bridge divisions, he has said, and then roll up our sleeves. That message continues to resonate with Iowans. In a September Iowa Poll, 54 percent of respondents rated Obama as the candidate who would be most successful in unifying the country, an 18-point edge over McCain.

When Obama first met with the Register's editorial board more than a year ago, he emphasized that when deciding to run, "I wasn't simply a young man in a hurry. I think there's this particular window right now where the country is hungry for change, and is also hungry to be brought together, as opposed to being driven apart. And I thought that the particular skills that I have, of bringing people from diverse backgrounds across lines of race or party or region or faith to focus on solving problems, was a particularly useful and needed skill right now."

Indeed, it is. An Obama presidency presents the best hope for a unified America that aspires to greatness again.
 
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Experience: central theme in the Quad Cities, Iowa endorsement

The eastern Iowa newspaper said any concerns were erased during the campaign as Obama earned the support of his primary opponents and picked "one of our favorites as a running mate. Where his experience comes up short, he has sought out help, including Republicans like U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Obama picked a running mate who could assume the presidency tomorrow, "the newspaper said. It said Obama's appeal and campaign organization are leading the biggest voter turnout in history and "strengthening our democracy. Already, Obama is demonstrating presidential leadership and demeanor, displaying steely calm against an avalanche of unfair attacks, distortions and distractions."

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ALASKA DAILY NEWS:

Palin's rise captivates us but nation needs a steady hand

(10/25/08)

Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.

Alaska's founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.

Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

Since his early acknowledgement that economic policy is not his strong suit, Sen. McCain has stumbled and fumbled badly in dealing with the accelerating crisis as it emerged. He declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" at 9 a.m. one day and by 11 a.m. was describing an economy in crisis. He is both a longtime advocate of less market regulation and a supporter of the huge taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout. His behavior in this crisis -- erratic is a kind description -- shows him to be ill-equipped to lead the essential effort of reining in a runaway financial system and setting an anxious nation on course to economic recovery.

Sen. Obama warned regulators and the nation 19 months ago that the subprime lending crisis was a disaster in the making. Sen. McCain backed tighter rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but didn't do much to advance that legislation. Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it. It is easy to look at Sen. Obama and see a return to the smart, bipartisan economic policies of the last Democratic administration in Washington, which left the country with the momentum of growth and a budget surplus that President George Bush has squandered.

On the most important issue of the day, Sen. Obama is a clear choice.  Sen. McCain describes himself as a maverick, by which he seems to mean that he spent 25 years trying unsuccessfully to persuade his own party to follow his bipartisan, centrist lead. Sadly, maverick John McCain didn't show up for the campaign. Instead we have candidate McCain, who embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years.

It is Sen. Obama who truly promises fundamental change in Washington. You need look no further than the guilt-by-association lies and sound-bite distortions of the degenerating McCain campaign to see how readily he embraces the divisive, fear-mongering tactics of Karl Rove. And while Sen. McCain points to the fragile success of the troop surge in stabilizing conditions in Iraq, it is also plain that he was fundamentally wrong about the more crucial early decisions. Contrary to his assurances, we were not greeted as liberators; it was not a short, easy war; and Americans -- not Iraqi oil -- have had to pay for it. It was Sen. Obama who more clearly saw the danger ahead.

The unqualified endorsement of Sen. Obama by a seasoned, respected soldier and diplomat like Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican icon, should reassure all Americans that the Democratic candidate will pass muster as commander in chief.

On a matter of parochial interest, Sen. Obama opposes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but so does Sen. McCain. We think both are wrong, and hope a President Obama can be convinced to support environmentally responsible development of that resource.

Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she's a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.

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.

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PORTLAND MAINE HERALD-October 26, 2008

Barack Obama for president

From a hard-fought campaign has emerged a leader with the qualities America needs. Barack Obama has the qualities needed by the country in these times.The long campaign for the White House has exposed sometimes surprising strengths and weaknesses among the candidates. To this nation's good fortune, one candidate has emerged from that process as the steady and strong leader these times demand.

When the campaign started nearly two years ago, Americans sensed the stakes would be higher this election cycle. The country was immersed in two wars. Rising energy prices had slowed economic growth amid inflation fears. And as the hopefuls announced their intentions, a disquieting slowdown in the housing market took hold. Few, however, would have predicted the recent meltdown of the financial sector and the prospect of a severe recession taking hold just as a new president takes office. The risk of an economic free-fall remains real. Americans face some difficult choices in the months ahead.

The person best suited to lead under these circumstances is the one most capable of inspiring Americans to have confidence in the future while also embracing change that will sometimes be difficult to accept. That person has to be intelligent, resolute and, above all, cool under pressure. On paper, one would not expect a first-term U.S. senator from Illinois to be a person likely to bring those qualities to the nation's highest office. But over the course of an arduous campaign, that senator proved that he has the mettle – the demeanor, energy and policy positons – to lead this nation during a difficult time. As such, Sen. Barack Obama merits our endorsement for president of the United States.

BRILLIANT IN PRIMARIES

Obama ran brilliantly in the primaries against New York Sen. HillaryClinton, one of the most able politicians of our age. He grasped early the potential of the Internet to enhance a grass-roots campaign. His positions fell solidly within the mainstream of his party. He defended them well, proving to be the best orator in the field. It was during the fall campaign, however, that Obama demonstrated he could be, as former Secretary of State Colin Powell said recently, a transformative figure.

Obama has seized on the economic crisis as an opportunity to highlight his plans. Like all the candidates, including his Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama has promised more than Congress and circumstance will allow him to deliver. Still, he stayed true to the approaches he outlined from the beginning, projecting confidence about the direction the country should take.

His health care plan, his proposal to cut taxes for the middle class while raising them on the wealthy and his desire to better regulate the financial markets all point in the right direction. On foreign policy, he has made his opposition to the war in Iraq a theme, but he has framed that opposition in a responsible way. He has made plain that, while he opposed the invasion of Iraq, he would not pursue an idealistic peace agenda at the expense of our national security.

Just as important as his thoughtful positions on the issues, however, are the temperament and leadership qualities that Obama displayed in recent weeks. As the news grew more sober and serious, so did Obama, shifting in his speeches from the lofty generalities that marked his early campaign to specific ideas.

And as the pressure built and the stakes grew, Obama remained calm. In the third and final presidential debate, McCain pressed him hard with negative attacks that could have proved infuriating. Instead, Obama explained himself calmly and went on to focus once again on his specific proposals to good effect.

NOT WITHOUT FLAWS

He is not a perfect candidate. His resume is especially sparse when it comes to foreign policy. And, though the issue has been overblown by his opponents, Obama's past decisions to work and worship with people who have a history of extremism reveal occasional lapses in judgment. But Obama has also surrounded himself with some outstanding men and women, and that tendency should help him govern effectively. For example, by choosing U.S. Sen. Joe Biden as a running mate, Obama brought immediate foreign policy expertise and credibility to the ticket. The selection made clear that Obama is not afraid to work with people who may know more about a topic than he does. That's good. If he is to succeed as president, Obama will have to surround himself with exceptional people, listen to their ideas and be willing to change course when confronted with a compelling case to do so.

In this race, Americans are fortunate that they can focus on voting for a candidate rather than against one. Obama's Republican opponent is an able politician and a genuine war hero. McCain built a career around breaking with the GOP on high-profile issues, though like Obama, he is solidly within his party's mainstream. During this campaign, however, McCain has talked a lot about his reputation as a maverick, but has veered little from his party's orthodoxy. His embracing of President Bush's tax cuts, which McCain once opposed out of concern for raising the budget deficit, is an example. Also, as Obama has grown cooler and more steady in the face of the economic crisis, McCain has vacillated, looking for a theme – positive or negative – that could draw attention and respect away from his eloquent rival. McCain has been an able and honorable candidate, but he is not the leader the country needs at this time.

A long and hard-fought campaign has shown that inspirational leader to be Barack Obama.

NH, Concord Monitor

Barack Obama should be the next president

The choice could not be clearer. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois should be this nation's next president. As the first African American to hold the highest office in the land, Obama would make history and instantly remake America's image abroad. But that is not why he deserves to win. Obama has the temperament, judgment, ideas and vision to be president....

Obama's considerable skills are augmented by his intelligence and his ability to inspire. All of that will be necessary to tackle problems that have grown to seem insurmountable over the past eight years. Serious people are talking about the end of America's supremacy as the world's leading economic power. The nation's young assume that they will not be as well-off as their parents. Unless the nation changes course quickly, their parents fear they could be right.

...He went on to attend Harvard Law School, where he was elected to hold that institution's highest honor, the editorship of the school's law review. That accomplishment required not just a superior academic record, but the ability to do what he has promised to do as president: win over polarized factions of liberals and conservatives.

He is moving a generation of young people because his rhetoric and deeds speak to the better angels of our nature.

Obama has worked to set higher ethical standards for public servants throughout his career. The people he appoints to office people will be well-qualified and willing to put their nation's interests ahead of their own.

Obama has said that he wants advisers who are willing to tell him when he's wrong. The past eight years are proof of what happens when they won't or can't because they all think alike.

...Obama credits education for the success he was able to achieve. As president, he wants to ensure that all the nation's children are taught by good teachers in good schools and make higher education affordable for everyone who is willing to work hard to succeed.

...Obama's ideas and ability to simultaneously see things from many vantage points makes him by far the candidate better able to solve the nation's many problems. His ability to get rivals to work together and the clean slate he will bring to meetings with the world's leaders will make it easier for him to enlist their aid.

...This newspaper has had the rare opportunity to see the candidates in action often and sit in a small room with each of them for hours of questioning. The intelligence and the thoughtfulness with which Obama approached each question and the thoroughness and sincerity of his responses was refreshing. He is the younger candidate, but by far the wiser candidate. He should become America's 44th president.

NM, Santa Fe New Mexican

Owing to the eight-year orgy of excesses by the White House, Obama has the advantage of running not just against the Arizona senator, but also against the man McCain might have beaten eight years ago in a fair fight: In George W. Bush, McCain campaigns with an albatross 'round his neck. For having allied himself so closely with a corrupt and inept administration, McCain is in the unenviable position of a Herbert Hoover, his Harding and Coolidge being Bush and Cheney.

He has flailed mightily in his effort to grasp the mantle of change -- but it belongs to Obama, whose early courage in calling for something like a New Deal in the face of a status-quo political culture is paying what appear to be dividends of the highest order.

His is an American story for our times: Raised in often-rough times as one of a fast-rising racial minority, Obama -- on sheer merit and hard work --led his class at Harvard Law. That's a ticket to great wealth -- but he forsook it for a career organizing the poor communities in the bleakest parts of Chicago. Where law was part of that career, it lay in teaching.

As an Illinois legislator and as a U.S. senator, he honed his persuasive skills and oratorical abilities -- and has become the voice of hope and idealism that has gone largely muffled for four decades and more....

New Mexico is being called a swing state in this election: Its five electoral votes are a drop in the bucket of 270 needed to win, but for all we know, the election might be that close. Four years ago, our state's voters somehow saw four more years of Bush/Cheney as preferable to a presidency responsive to working Americans. We and the rest of the country are paying the price -- economically and spiritually.

When Obama late last month urged Northern New Mexicans to make their predominantly Democratic voter-registration count, it was an eloquent call for a strong turnout. This week, early voting begins in our state. You have a chance to make a difference in the direction our country goes. We urge a vote for Barack Obama.

NEW MEXICO SUN NEWS, Santa Fe  FRONT COVER OBAMA PHOTO: "OBAMA WINS!" the first in the US to do its endorsement in that manner

NC Asheville's Citizen Times

Nation clearly needs change; Obama is better-suited...Historians may one day look back and say this election was a turning point, the time when America sealed its fate as a nation in decline or when democracy and capitalism prevailed and the nation reinvented itself. 

The nominees - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona - offer voters very different approaches to leadership and to solving the problems that face the country.

Those who know him say Obama is a disciplined, deliberative person who has a distaste for theatrics and who remains unruffled under pressure.

By contrast, McCain's temper is well documented, as is his propensity to alienate even fellow Republicans by his aggressive and sometimes profane style of confrontation during disagreements.

Obama's tax proposals are more favorable to the beleaguered middle class, his energy policies more likely to result in job creation and eventual energy independence and his plan to address the health care crisis more likely to result in a healthier nation. We believe his temperament and approach to issues represent the nation's best hope for addressing the gargantuan challenges that await the next president.

McCain, a brave warrior and a dedicated, lifelong public servant, has surrounded himself with advisers who fail to recognize the urgency to make fundamental policy changes, instead harkening back to failed tax and energy strategies. In a dangerous world increasingly bound together by a global economy, McCain's choice for vice president, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, feisty as she is, does not have the requisite exposure to foreign affairs to take the reins of government should McCain become incapacitated or die in office.

By contrast, Obama's proposals represent a clearer-eyed recognition of the crises that face America and the changes that must be made if we are toreverse an unsustainable course. His choice for vice president, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, a 26-year veteran in the Senate who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, clearly has the credentials to be president should the need arise.

America can't afford to muddle through another four years. We are near thetipping point in too many areas vital to our future as a nation. We need the steadiness, the sound judgment and the approach to problem-solving that Barack Obama and Joe Biden would bring.

NC Charlotte Observer

...This choice is complicated by the puzzling election-year disappearance of the Sen. John McCain whom many Americans have admired since his military days, when he might have taken the easy way out of detention to return to America. That he refused to do so is a shining example of heroism. His subsequent Senate service and his independence of thought brought him admirers across party lines who saw in him hope for a government motivated not by partisanship but by a commitment to solving problems involving the best thinkers across the political spectrum.

We don't know what happened to that John McCain. In his pandering to the political right on some issues and his impulsive selection of a woefully unprepared governor as his vice presidential candidate, McCain has created doubts about his judgment that did not previously exist, and exposed how his reputation as a maverick can seem more recklessness than courage. In doing so he has frittered away confidence in his ability to deal with a discouraging array of problems that will confront the next president.

By contrast, Sen. Barack Obama's inexperience in executive matters constitutes less of a concern than ordinarily it might. His intellect, his calm, rational approach to difficult issues, his coolness during the heat of debate and his sense of humor and humility offer something millions of Americans have yearned for in national politics - the ability to examine issues thoughtfully, to listen to competing interests and to develop solutions that more closely meet the needs of all....

In an era that begs for a return to the standards of decency and respect for the rule of law that made America great, Obama offers thoughtful proposals for a rational way to respond to the nation's needs. The Observer enthusiastically endorses Barack Obama for president.

WI Chippewa Herald

Restoring health to the nation's economy will be even more difficult considering the mess that the nation finds itself in at this point. It will likely require patience, sacrifice and a positive attitude from the American people. That will require inspirational leadership from the nation's president, and there is every reason to believe that is Obama's greatest strength.

CT Hartford Courant

In its 244-year history, The Courant has endorsed only one Democratic candidate for president, Bill Clinton. Today we endorse a second Democrat, Sen. Barack Obama, with the hope that if elected, he governs from the middle as Mr. Clinton did. Mr. Obama must resist serving only his party's interests and instead serve the greater interests of a worried nation.

America is starved for a leader who can restore pride and once again make the nation a beacon for the world, or in the words of Massachusetts Gov. John Winthrop in 1630, "a city on a hill -- with the eyes of all people upon us."

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MN Star Tribune

Obama has staked out an optimistic vision of a more united America and a bipartisan approach to addressing problems in Washington. With hope that he can deliver on that promise, Obama receives our endorsement....

If elected, Obama will need to prove his independence from predictable party politics and take a bipartisan approach to complex problems. He'll need to continue to emphasize personal responsibility as a bedrock American value. He and the country will need to remember the homeland security lessons of 9/11 and bring the Iraq war to a responsible end. Obama has properly rebuked Iran's nuclear aspirations and Russia's aggression, and he's promised a strong commitment to national defense. He seems determined not to let national security be an afterthought for his administration.

It would be a mistake to offer this endorsement without recognizing the nature of this moment in American history. The country is about to elect either its first African-American as president or its first woman as vice president. Both are long overdue, but Palin's shortcomings would likely overshadow the historic nature of her election. An Obama presidency would reaffirm for the country and the world the possibilities offered by a free, inclusive and democratic society. It would herald an important generational shift in American leadership and provide hope for a more unified nation.

Even after a bruising campaign by two strong candidates, Obama's optimistic message of unity endures. On Nov. 4, Americans will set a new course. In Barack Obama, they have a candidate who can inspire faith in better days to come.

St. Petersburg Times

...one candidate offers a clearer break with the past, the qualities to unite this country and the vision to lead it in a new direction. With enthusiasm, the Times recommends Barack Obama for president. Obama's inspiring message of hope and change resonates throughout America. It can be seen in the enormous numbers of new registered voters, the enthusiasm of younger citizens and the excitement among those engaged in the political process for the first time. The hunger for a new leader with fresh ideas has combined with the realization that old assumptions and Washington responses are no match for today's sobering new realities. This is an opportunity to turn to a leader from a new generation, someone who has the intellectual depth and inspirational qualities to confront the complicated issues at hand and create a shared vision for a brighter future for all Americans -- regardless of their financial or social status....

There are some hard realities. The economic crisis, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other factors not yet known may make many of the details in campaign policy papers irrelevant. Obama also rarely stands up to the leadership of his own party. For example, he is too willing to pander to old- school union opposition to free trade. He has to learn to say no to the Democrats who control Congress and the special interests that control them.

A generation ago, the nomination of an African-American for president would have been unimaginable. Now Obama stands on the brink of history, and his election would send a powerful message to the world about how far Americans have come on issues of equality and opportunity. But voters should look beyond skin color in selecting the next president. They should look for the candidate who best represents their hopes and aspirations, who can meet the nation's difficult challenges with sophisticated responses, who can inspire us and unite this country as he turns the page and leads America in a new direction.
For president of the United States, the Times recommends Barack Obama.

Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester New York: 

America is in crisis, and it's not limited to the meltdown on Wall Street. A heavily burdened nation yearns for new direction. Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden are best suited to revive the indomitable spirit that made America great. They are the Democrat and Chronicle's choices for president and vice president.

The nation's challenges are daunting. The economy is in the tank, along with public confidence in Congress. State governments are in financial ruin. No relief is in sight from dependence on foreign oil. Indebtedness to China is deepening. And longstanding allies have become standoffish.

America can't afford more of the same. That's the huge risk the nation would run with Republican John McCain, who for too long was in step with the failed policies of the Bush administration.

GA Macon Telegraph

When historians explore the 2008 presidential election at some future time after the glow of the moment has worn dim, they will find several history-making moments, most far from the obvious.

Naturally, history will record that the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, is one part African American and one part white. In order to win the nomination he had to best one of the most defining political figures of the '90s, Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Republicans responded with a first of their own. Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee, selected a little-known governor from Alaska, Sarah Palin, as his running mate.

But what will be most striking to historians is the resonance of the word "change," but not in the sense that Obama uses the word on the stump. Less than 50 years ago Jim Crow laws enforced de facto segregation in many areas of the country. Now it's very possible that an African American could become the leader of the free world.

America should be proud that two men of character are running to be president of the United States. However, there can be only one. McCain's service to this country is well-documented, and it should be duly honored. However, this is a new day with new challenges. America cannot afford to do business using a 20th century model, and it can't continue the failed policies of the Bush administration. From health care to tax policy to dealing with the reprobates of the world, Sen. Obama's ideas are superior to those of Sen. McCain, whose judgment has been rightly called into question. From his choice of Palin as a running mate to suspending his campaign during the height of the financial meltdown to declaring - in the face of a $700 billion bailout, that the fundamentals of our economy "are sound," - McCain's grip on 21st century realities is questionable.

In the words of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Obama has "style and substance." That substance includes a keen intellect and posture to help him navigate the pressing issues facing our nation. He has a unique ability to inspire cross culturally. He is a living example that there is a new day dawning in the world, and he will make the case that, as usual, America will lead the way. We endorse Sen. Barack Obama.

The La Crosse Tribune  (Wisconsin)

...The La Crosse Tribune endorses Sen. Barack Obama, the Democrat fromIllinois, to provide the change in leadership, hope and vision we need torestore faith in our future and restore trust among our world partners.

While we admire and respect the heroism and service of Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee from Arizona, we don't have faith in his ability to be the maverick he wants us to believe he is.

Obama combines the discipline of pay-as-you-go budgeting with plans to reinvest in our crumbling national infrastructure and reduce our carbon emissions by 80 percent by the middle of this century--a more thoughtful, visionary approach to an energy policy than simply crying, "Drill, Baby, Drill."...

BLOOMINGTON ILLINOIS, Pentagraph

This is not an easy choice.

We would have preferred that Obama have more experience before becoming president and we don't agree with some of his positions -his views on taxation and on removing the secret ballot in union organizing, for example. But he can make up for his limited experience by surrounding himself with experienced people who have good analytical skills and are committed to telling the president what he needs to know, not what he wants to hear--advisers he can trust, not ideologues.

Democrats are expected to retain control of the House of Representatives and possibly increase their majority in the Senate. But political realities require that the next president work in the center of the spectrum, where most Americans reside. Extremism on the right and the left will need to yield to common sense solutions in the middle. With his great ability to communicate, Obama can accomplish that. He has all the qualities to be a great president. It's up to him.

The Pantagraph endorses Barack Obama for president.

CT, Norwich Bulletin

It's about choosing the individual who can best address the serious challenges facing this nation, both home and abroad. We believe that person is Barack Obama and we endorse his candidacy for president of the United States.

Growth during campaign. Throughout the course of this campaign, and still today, the freshman senator's experience and capabilities have been called into question. During the past 19 months, we have been impressed with his growth as a candidate for the nation's highest office. He clearly has demonstrated, first through a hard-fought Democratic primary and later during the general election campaign with his Republican rival, that he is both fit and capable to serve.

Obama has run an impressive campaign, capturing the hopes of Americans yearning for change and inspiring Americans to believe positive change can happen.

He has shown himself to be a thoughtful, deliberate, intelligent candidate who understands our nation's priorities in terms of the domestic problems we face with our economy, to his abilities abroad to mend our broken relationships with allies along with the fortitude and strength necessary to deal with those who wish to be our enemies.

His selection of U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., as his running mate, adding further strength to the Democratic ticket, was sound judgment. Any lingering doubts of his ability to serve as commander-in-chief were washed away by the recent endorsement of former secretary of state, retired Gen. Colin Powell.

We are confident the judgment Obama has demonstrated during this campaign will serve him well. He will face enormous challenges in trying to implement all the programs he has championed during his campaign. The nation's fiscal health will force him to prioritize and compromise.

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The Optimist, the student newspaper of Abilene Christian University, and another longtime Republican endorser: "We are drawn to Obama also because of his ability to mend America's damaged image throughout the globe during Bush's years at the helm. Obama is a cosmopolitan who has shown time and time again that he will work with our allies and take steps away from the calloused and condescending foreign policy of McCain and the man he voted with 89 percent of the time since 2001."

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Tadias Editorial, an Ethiopian Pubication, NY 
February 4th, 2008

New York (Tadias) - This year Ethiopian Americans will participate in one of the most exciting and consequential elections in decades. Both candidates would make dynamic presidents. And, if elected, will make history. We have no difficulty in selecting which one of two will eventually become a more powerful historical figure. We strongly endorse Senator Barack Obama.

The senator from Illinois distinguishes himself by appealing to basic human decency. He transcends false divisions rooted on race, language, gender, region and religion. His public service record in Chicago, his time as a civil rights lawyer, his years as constitutional law professor, and his Senate experience all prove that Obama is a seasoned candidate who can bring about much needed change in American politics. Senator Obama has demonstrated passion and dedication on issues that are important to Ethiopian Americans, such as immigration, education and health care.

Senator Obama is a son of an immigrant. His father was born and raised in Kenya. Obama's father travelled to the United States on a scholarship to pursue his education at the University of Hawaii. It was there where Obama's parents met. Obama's father eventually went to Harvard, where he received his Ph.D. and later returned to Kenya, where he worked as a government economist until he died in a car crash in 1982. Obama travelled with his mother from Hawaii to Indonesia and lived in both California and New York before working in low-income communities in Chicago, Illinois.

A Columbia and Harvard alum who graduated as President of the prestigious Harvard Law Review, his credentials can match or surpass any other American president. But Obama's asset is his vision, his courage, and his integrity. His words touch every heart - the MTV generation rallies for him as much as do those who lived in the Kennedy era. Last night's Superbowl Champs, NY Giants, have decided to skip the traditional festivities in Disneyland, officially endorse Barack Obama and plan to attend Obama's speech today in New Jersey. He is leading across borders echoing MLK's words: "Unity is the great need of the hour."

There is a bit of each and every one of us in Obama. His story is our story. We believe that an Obama presidency will instantly reverse the public relations damage done by the current administration and defuse anti-American passion around the world. We encourage Ethiopian Americans to vote for Senator Barack Obama.

It is only appropriate to close this endorsement with Obama's own words as he addressed the people of South Carolina who gave him a historical landslide victory:

"And as we leave this state with a new wind at our backs, and take this journey across the country we love with the message we've carried from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire; from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people in three simple words:   "Yes. We. Can."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

endorsed Obama in an editorial set for publication on Oct. 26:

Obama's vision and potential to be that change agent trump his relative lack of experience, though the experience he possesses is valuable. The maturity and calm demeanor he has exhibited these past two years in the public spotlight and earlier, speak to able, careful, inclusive leadership. And he is simply the better of the two on the issues. ...

McCain, an early supporter of the invasion, was later a critic of how the war was being waged, supporting a surge that Obama opposed. But McCain now fails to recognize that Americans want something different than his open-ended approach. ...

And he also has squandered his claim to one of his supposed assets - his experience, as a military man and member of Congress for 26 years. Simply, he has displayed deplorable judgment in key instances that call into question the value of his overall judgment.

In Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 72-year-old candidate with a history of melanoma picked a woefully unqualified running mate - as she continues to prove day after day. And both he and she have conducted a campaign that has careened from inept to offensive.