Aonther CA Newspaper The Oakland Tribune Endorses Obama

[Hope And Change]

McCain and Obama merit nominations


Oakland Tribune

Article Created: 02/01/2008 01:42:49 PM PST

FOR THE FIRST TIME in decades, California voters are going to play a crucial role in selecting a presidential nominee. In both the Democratic and Republican parties, whoever wins the most votes in this state Tuesday will take a giant step toward nomination this summer.

We strongly believes that the nation is in dire need of a president who has the vision, ability and desire to reach out to all Americans in a positive manner.

We need a leader who listens to the views of others, domestically and abroad, and who truly embraces bipartisanship at home and cooperation internationally.

Fortunately, both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have such leaders this year. They are Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama.

McCain has demonstrated the experience, character and leadership needed for the presidency. He is not afraid to speak his mind on key issues, even if his ideas may be unpopular among some members of his own party.

While he has a relatively conservative record in his four years in the House of Representatives and 21 years in the Senate, McCain has reached across the aisle on many key issues.

He has worked with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., on what we believe was a fair, workable and humane immigration measure. McCain also has partnered with Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., on campaign reform, in an attempt to reduce the influence of special interest money in Washington.

When many in Washington were abandoning the war in Iraq and were clamoring or rapid troop withdrawals, McCain called for an increase and supported the surge, which we opposed, but which has made considerable progress.

We admire McCain's forthrightness, openness and flexibility. That is why he has a strong appeal to many outside his party.

He has firm conservative values, but is far from an ideologue. Moreover, he has 25 years of experience in Congress and has a depth of expertise in foreign affairs.

Had McCain been nominated in 2000 and elected president, we believe the nation and the world would have been far better off today. We firmly believe today, as we did eight years ago, that McCain deserves the Republican nomination for president.

The Democrats have a quite different, but equally admirable, candidate in Obama. He has emerged as a formidable leader after just a short time as a senator from Illinois. In fact, he is reminiscent of John Kennedy, who was about the same age as Obama when he was elected president in 1960.

Like Kennedy, Obama is intelligent, articulate and inclusive. His message of hope has broad appeal because it is presented in a magnetic manner that is encouraging and avoids ideological bombast.

What Obama lacks in experience is more than compensated for by vision and a charisma that goes far beyond mere popularity and likeability. He has demonstrated class and poise in what has become a sometimes nasty primary season.

Obama represents a new generation that is coming of age politically, with its own experiences and views. It is a generation that was not torn by the divisiveness of the Vietnam War nor the excesses of the Cold War.

The Illinois senator offers the energy of youth along with an eagerness and intelligence to address some of the leading challenges of our time: health care, new sources of energy, economic globalization and saving Social Security for his and later generations.

Obama has a rare combination of youthful optimism and mature sagacity that have made him a national leader and one who would be the best choice for the Democratic presidential nomination.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_8141035

[Hope And Change]

1. Kick!

:kick:

[polichick]

2. Wow - keep 'em coming!