http://www.sgvtribune.com/editorial/ci_10756681
Obama for president
THERE is little doubt that our country faces challenges of historic proportions. The economy is headed into a recession even as we remain embroiled in two wars overseas.
As Election Day draws near, the need for steady, innovative leadership could not be more clear.
Earlier this year, we endorsed Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain for their parties' respective tickets. Now, along with the rest of our great nation, we must choose again.
We choose Obama.
It is not, however, an easy choice.
Related: How we made this decision
In many ways, both candidates have the same goals and share the same concerns: stabilizing the economy and ending the credit crisis chief among them, resolving the war in Iraq clearly another.
Their proposals and strategies for engaging these and other issues, however, are markedly different.
On the economy, Obama promises to cut taxes for 95 percent of American workers, eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and offer tax breaks for businesses that create new jobs. While we're not enthusiastic about potential tax hikes in a rough economy, even for families making more than $250,000 a year, we recognize that Obama's plan is aimed at the whole of the middle class.
McCain also promises tax cuts, but they are disproportionately for big corporations and the wealthiest Americans. He has said he would spend $300 billion buying troubled mortgages that would be rewritten to current market value with lower interest rates to help struggling homeowners keep their homes. At the same time, the banks and investment firms that made risky loans in the first place would be made whole, courtesy of the American taxpaying public. In the month since the conventions, when both candidates were tied in the polls, Obama has pulled ahead - by 14 percentage points in one national poll - as Americans' choice for who would be a better steward of the national economy. Outside of the three presidential debates, there's nothing like observing a potential president in a time of real turmoil to get an idea of how he would hold up in the Oval Office. It's the toughest job in the world, and we're all looking for a candidate with the energy, intellect and diplomacy needed to lead the way into an uncertain future. In recent weeks, as economic conditions have worsened, the main thrust of McCain's campaign has been to attack Obama with murky assertions over his ties to controversial figures or scandal-plagued political groups, a tactic that smacks of desperation. His selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as running mate, a move intended to energize the ticket and galvanize the Republican party, has rallied some supporters, but left others, including some in his own party, wondering whether McCain had put politics ahead of prudence. Obama, while criticizing McCain's campaign tactics, has maintained a steady, focused agenda. More importantly, he has not been rattled. We believe, as we said in our primary endorsement, that Obama's greatest strength could be the promise he holds of restoring American credibility on the world stage. Obama is a natural diplomat. He puts people at ease rather than on the defensive. He knows how to incorporate the views of others while hewing to what he knows to be right: democracy, free trade, action on global warming and prudent deployment of military resources. While we are not convinced that Obama's strategy to quickly draw down troops in Iraq is best, we agree that too much money is being spent in Iraq (which has a budget surplus of nearly $80 billion) and that the real focus of the war on terror should be al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan and bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. McCain, too, has pledged to end the war in Iraq, but not before the insurgency is routed and the Iraqi government is stabilized. His plan is founded on the success of the recent troop surge, which he championed, but it offers no clear path toward resolution. It's just not enough. We know that many readers will disagree with our views on some of these issues, and that there are many other issues not even raised here. But over the past five months of heavy campaigning by the candidates and after thoughtful and spirited debate, we have made our choice. In just over two weeks, voters will go to the polls to make theirs. We urge all of our readers to be among them. This election will chart the course not just for the next four years but for many more as the incoming president and Congress grapple with two wars and an economic crisis while carrying an onerous national debt and skyrocketing budget deficit on their backs. To best meet these challenges, we respectfully endorse Barack Obama for the presidency.
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