The Columbian, WA Endorses Barack Obama, McCain

[MadBadger]

In our view: McCain and Obama

Sunday, February 03, 2008


Two fiercly independent candidates have emerged in presidential primaries

One is a war hero, the other an icon of diversity. What could a 71-year-old maverick from Arizona possibly have in common with a 46-year-old uniter from Chicago?

Indeed, when Navy pilot John McCain was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967 on his 23rd combat mission and a 5½-year imprisonment began, Barack Obama was in the first grade in Indonesia. McCain finished near the bottom of his class at the U.S. Naval Academy; Obama graduated from Columbia University and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.

But these disparate would-be presidents share one compelling attribute: fierce independence. McCain’s rigid political independence has caused him to be disowned by many rock-ribbed Republicans. Many Americans (especially independents) believe this is to his benefit. And Obama, when pressed on issues of race or political party, refuses to be cornered, speaking independently about new hope for all Americans. Rather than a cultural pioneer, he sees himself as an agent of change for all his countrymen.

This profoundly American trait — independence — leads The Columbian to endorse Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama in their respective presidential primaries in Washington state. Ballots for the Feb. 19 primaries were mailed to Clark County voters on Friday. Many voters understandably will wait until this week’s Super Duper Tuesday to determine how candidates fare in the primaries or caucuses of two dozen states.

We see no need to wait. McCain clearly is the best Republican, certainly more consistent and solid than Mitt Romney. And for Democrats, Obama’s vow to "bring the country together in a new majority" in no way can be matched by his chief rival, Hillary Clinton. Most Americans are weary of the unproductive presidential divisiveness that has grown and festered for more than a decade. Isn’t 20 years in the White House enough for two families?

McCain and Obama each can be figuratively picked to pieces over the issues, but remember: No president can single-handedly grant or refuse amnesty to illegal immigrants, enact or reject universal health care or rescind or preserve Roe v. Wade.

McCain, though, offers the best plan for the quagmire in Iraq. His strategy — a measured withdrawal of troops based on continued accomplishments — is rational and achievable. Obama has opposed the war from its outset. His steadfast contention that the invasion (which we supported in 2003) was a mistake has proved correct, even prophetic. But as things stand now in Iraq, immediate or rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops would undermine American and Iraqi interests. McCain’s plan is risky, but sensible.

Other issues — such as immigration, health care and taxes — will be debated through the summer. Until then, voters’ decisions should rest largely on leadership capabilities. McCain’s repeated political comebacks have required the healing skills of a physician and the dogged survival instincts of, well, a former POW.

As for Obama, few sources have scrutinized him more intensely than The Chicago Tribune, which editorialized in last week’s endorsement of the candidate: "Barack Obama is the rare individual who can sit in the U.S. Senate yet have his career potential unfilled."

McCain and Obama represent each party’s best hope for a leader who can rebuild American pride in the presidency.

http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2008/02/02032008_In-our-view-McCain-and-Obama.cfm