Times endorsement: Barack Obama, ready to lead
By the Times Editorial Board | Sunday, October 26, 2008 2:47 PM CDTExperience or change? If we had a nickel every time each word was uttered in this presidential campaign, we could bail out the reckless lenders, cover the war debt and provide another stimulus package. Yet those two words don’t begin to cover the skills and attributes necessary in our next president.
What about temperament, judgment, decision-making and knowledge? How about stamina, education and ethics?
These are among the considerations that support our enthusiastic endorsement of Barack Obama for president of the United States.
Already, Obama’s appeal and campaign organization is leading the biggest voter turnout in history, bringing millions of new voters to the polls, thereby strengthening our democracy.
Already, Obama is demonstrating presidential leadership and demeanor, displaying steely calm against an avalanche of unfair attacks, distortions and distractions.
Already, Obama has erased any concerns we had during the caucus campaigns by earning the support of all of his primary opponents, and picking one of our favorites as his running mate.
The biggest change we’ve experienced since the caucuses is in our assessment of John McCain. The straight talk that won our caucus endorsement has been consumed by campaign doublespeak and some fairly awful decisions for the guy wearing the experience mantle. John McCain approved the messages that made Paris Hilton and Joe the Plumber campaign issues. These sly distractions seemed beneath a true hero who earned his reputation by avoiding such nonsense. Most troubling is his vice presidential pick. Sarah Palin’s populist appeal holds promise. Her soaring political career track from hockey mom to Alaska governor simply isn’t enough to merit the giant step to the Oval Office.
We don’t question her potential. But today, she clearly is not ready to assume the presidency.
Barack Obama is. He’s experienced America at many levels: his Kansas roots; diverse Hawaii; elite Harvard; south side Chicago.
He’s demonstrated civic responsibility at just as many levels: organizing in neighborhoods, politicking in Chicago, legislating in Springfield, debating in Congress and traveling internationally on diplomatic missions.
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.
All along, Obama has been unwavering in his assertion that Afghanistan, not Iraq, is the target in our war on terrorism. Helping the middle class, not betting on trickle-down tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, has been the consistent focus of his economic plan.
We support a presidential candidate predisposed toward reaching out to world leaders, not one entrenched in Cold War-style standoffs.
The clincher for us came in our Quad-City meetings with Obama as state senator, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate. In each instance, we’ve experienced consistent character, superior intellect, engaging curiosity and specific knowledge of our Quad-Cities.
We weren’t quite there last January when change began in Iowa. We are now.
We support Barack Obama for president.
The first six calls
During Barack Obama’s Dec. 19, 2007, editorial board meeting, community board member John Wetzel asked Obama the first two work-related calls he would make after winning the presidency. Obama didn’t stop at two.
1 “The first is to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to call them in to provide them a new mission, which is the phased withdrawal (from Iraq) that I discussed.
2 “The second call is to my ... attorney general nominee to review every executive order that has been issued ...”
3 “Third call is to my secretary of health and human services to get that roundtable discussion to get health care going.
4 “Fourth call is to my secretary of energy to get moving on a cap and trade system to deal with greenhouse gases ...”
5 “The fifth call is to my secretary of state to ... convene a meeting with Muslim leaders in a Muslim country that I will attend and in which I will speak directly with the Muslim world to how they need to align themselves with the West against terrorism and we, in turn, need to shift our rhetoric so we’re not creating a clash of civilizations.
6 “... And then I’ll call my wife and find out what we’re doing for dinner.”
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