Lehigh Valley - Pa.
The Express-Times endorses Barack Obama for president over John McCain
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Express-times endorsement
A riddle for our times: Most Americans agree we are confronted with a historic choice in this election, one that will determine whether we continue climbing the mountain or fall off the precipice, with dire consequences. Yet the focus for many voters in this campaign is whether the mud being slung at Barack Obama will find a toehold, and thus provide the opening to destroy his presidential ambitions.
This type of campaigning should be a source of national embarrassment, especially in times of crisis. We can only hope that voters recognize it as such -- and return their focus to the issues and leadership potential of Obama and John McCain.
But frankly, it's hard to get to a place where the campaign noise doesn't seep in and interfere with clear thinking. In its deliberations, The Express-Times editorial board found two things that should be marginal concerns kept coming up as make-or-break issues. And they added plenty of heat to the discussion.
-- McCain's choice of Sarah Palin for a running mate seems as shockingly amateurish and ill-advised today as it was in August. Nothing that has happened on the campaign trail has changed this.
MORE at link
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1223784372215180.xml&coll=3