Chicago Tribune Endorses Obama

This afternoon, The Chicago Tribune endorsed Sen. Obama. So what, you might say. Shouldn't Sen. Obama expect an endorsement from his hometown newspaper? Well, no, actually. As the editors note in their endorsement:

This endorsement makes some history for the Chicago Tribune. This is the
first time the newspaper has endorsed the Democratic Party's nominee for
president.

The first time! In over 160 years! The endorsement is worth reading, but I wanted to highlight a few of the more interesting statements:

We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass
and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready.

...

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 [emphasis added].

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.

...

Obama is deeply grounded in the best aspirations of this country, and we need to return to those aspirations. He has had the character and the will to achieve great things despite the obstacles that he faced as an unprivileged black man in the U.S.He has risen with his honor, grace and civility intact. He has the intelligence to understand the grave economic and national security risks that face us, to listen to good advice and make careful decisions.

The editors of The Chicago Tribune have clearly thought deeply about the election; let's just hope that others follow that lead and make their decisions on the basis of careful thought and not just fear.