Wow!...They Endorsed Who?

And so the firsts just keep coming... I guess it is only fitting that a historical first in a presidential election brings about other historical firsts. But, either way, I must admit that I found the recent endorsement of the Chicago Tribune and LA Times surprising.

Interestingly enough during the third and final presidential debate Sen. Obama referenced the Chicago Tribune as being a traditionally conservative publication. Well, that publication certainly parted with its conservative tendencies with this statement published Friday....

"On Nov. 4 we're going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose. The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States," proclaims the editorial board.

The Chicago Tribune published a rather moving and inspiration piece, citing reasons to assure the voting public of why Obama is the better option for the President of America. The Tribune used rather strong language to declare why they believe that neither Sen. McCain or Gov. Palin are ready to take over the Oval Office.

"McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate--but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country," writes the Tribune Editorial Board. "Obama chose a more experienced and more thoughtful running mate--he put governing before politicking. Sen. Joe Biden doesn't bring many votes to Obama, but he would help him from day one to lead the country."

Now, I wasn't as moved by the language used in the LA Times Endorsement of Barack Obama. But, I did find this statement about McCain interesting. "His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory."

I too initially thought that McCain proved to be very clever in the selection of his Vice Presidential pick. However, I soon learned that it was only clever on the surface. Beneath the facade, I found Palin to be very green. I say this even though, I am a person who very strongly believes that wisdom and foresight do not always go hand and hand with age. While, some lessons and values must be learned through first-hand experience, I believe whole-heartedly that most valuable qualities are innate.

What I find most interesting about the election is that it's as much about politics as it is about one's personal belief system. Whether one takes notes from the endorsers of Sen. McCain or Sen. Obama, the voting public has some very tough questions to ask themselves come this election day. So come the morning of November 5th, we have more than just a new leader, we have a sense of the America's core belief system as a whole.