'Hartford Courant' To Endorse Obama - Second Dem in 244 year history

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http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003877840

Another Surprise: 'Hartford Courant' To Endorse Obama, Only 2nd Democrat Ever


NEW YORK The Hartford Courant will endorse Sen. Obama this weekend, making it the newspaper’s second endorsement of a Democratic presidential candidate in its 244-year history.

The pro-Obama editorial will appear on the newspaper’s Web site late Saturday afternoon and in the print edition on Sunday, E&P has learned.

The endorsement selects the Democratic candidate because of his leadership qualities. It calls America “starved for a leader who can restore pride and once again make the nation a beacon for the world,” and argues that Obama is the candidate who could do it. The editorial projects that the Illinois senator would govern from the middle and maintain a calm temperament if elected president.

The Courant chose not to back the McCain campaign this election season because it has not succeeded in breaking from policies of the Bush Administration. “ Republican Sen. John McCain has failed to persuade us he could wake the nation from this seven-year nightmare” of the loss of 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, 4,000 American troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the greatest economic threat since the Great Depression, the endorsement reads.

The editorial also faults McCain for his choice of running mate. “With so many capable people to choose from, Mr. McCain’s pick of a governor with such a thin resume was disappointing. It’s a wonder how Mr. McCain can make his Democratic rival out to be too green to be commander-in-chief when his Republican running mate is so vulnerable on that point,” writes The Courant.

The Courant is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the nation.