President: Barack Obama (Sarasota Herald Tribune endorsement)

The most remarkable aspect of the campaign for the presidency, as it stands today, is not the racial makeup of Barack Obama, the age of John McCain or the celebrity of Sarah Palin.

The striking factor is that the Democratic and Republican tickets have chosen "change" as the their themes.

All candidates call for change, but the 2008 campaign for the presidency is notable for the intensity of that call -- and for the way it has resonated.

From the outset, Obama promoted himself as the change agent. That was one of the few strategies available to Obama; he's been a U.S. senator since 2005, so running on experience wasn't an option.

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Obama has displayed presidential temperament under the intense fire of a tough campaign. It's a leap of faith to support a candidate with so little political experience. But the leadership skills Obama has demonstrated and his ideas for improving on the last eight years -- which haven't worked very well, have they? -- pose the lesser risk and offer the greatest potential to the nation.

We recommend Barack Obama for president of the United States.

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