Opinion Editorials
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Election '08: President
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Published: October 30, 2008
After nearly two years of presidential campaigning and speechifying, it's no wonder that we're all getting a bit weary of the two remaining candidates. There have been enough negative ads, campaign gaffes and flip-flopped positions that we almost understand the frustration of a gentleman we overheard the other morning: "What a dreadful choice," he said. "I can't vote for either of them."
The Journal, however, cannot share that cynicism. When viewed in a fair light of all the demands that are put on modern-day candidates for any office, the presidential candidates come away looking to us as a relatively good pair of options.
In Sen. Barack Obama, the United States has an inspirational young leader, a man who put his considerable talents to work not for his own personal gain on the streets of Chicago but for the betterment of his fellow citizens. Regardless of how this election comes out, he has shown the world that America still is the land of opportunity, a place where even the son of a multiracial couple, one of the pair being an immigrant, can rise to enormous heights.
In Sen. John McCain, we have a genuine war hero and a man who has served his country admirably for decades in Congress. He is a man who has shown courage in war and courage in Washington. During his years in the Senate, he has demonstrated a willingness and ability to work across the aisle. And today, the Journal endorses him for president.
The Journal sides with McCain because he better suits this newspaper's underlying editorial philosophy of limited government intrusion into the lives of American citizens, low taxes and fiscal responsibility. There is nothing in the character of Obama that makes us think he is unfit to be president. To the contrary, we admire much about the man. We just disagree with the course upon which he is likely to lead this nation.
Over the past five months, Obama has run a strong campaign. Let's be blunt: McCain's campaign has not been as strong; it has suppressed McCain's natural humor, spontaneity and creativity. He's looked as unnatural on the stump this year as Al Gore did in 2000.
But once this campaign ends, we believe, the real John McCain, the champion of straight talk, will re-emerge.
McCain will be much different from President Bush. He will bring the Iraq war to a successful conclusion, work to end American dependence on foreign oil, reduce America's output of climate-changing gases and begin the rebuilding of our economy. He will shake up a Washington establishment that has grown too comfortable at the expense of the American people.
The Journal believes that McCain will work well with the inevitable Democratic Congress to reduce the federal deficit and to cut taxes. For this reason, the Journal endorses John McCain for president.
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