Philadelphia Inquirer endorses KERRY for President today.

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http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/9878518.htm

Posted on Sun, Oct. 10, 2004

Editorial | KERRY FOR PRESIDENT

The choice is vivid. The stakes are vast.

Our nation is threatened by jihad warriors who scoff at boundaries. It stumbles toward a fiscal ruin that will punish our children. The rules that protect our air, water and health are weaker than we know. When 45 million of our neighbors fall ill, they have no insurance card to hand to the doctor.

We boast of exporting liberty and rule of law, yet watch them erode at home. A hooded prisoner on a box has replaced a soaring lady with a lamp as the global icon of America's intentions. Our national discourse has grown peevish, choking on distortion and bile.

On Nov. 2, we can return to office the man who, since 2001, has spawned some of those ills and shown a shaky touch at healing the others.

Or we can go a new way, one alert to fresh global challenges yet rooted in the approaches that made the 1990s so productive. We can elect Democratic nominee John F. Kerry.

Dear fellow citizen, this is as important an election as any in which you've had a chance to vote.

The Inquirer's urgent, deeply felt recommendation: Cast that ballot on Nov. 2 for JOHN F. KERRY.


snip> MUCH MORE follows. A strong, even passionate, editorial.

[Zynx]

1. Newspaper endorsements are key to swining undecideds.

They did in the primaries at least.

[WI_DEM]

2. "Urgent--deeply felt recommendation" that is a great line.

Lot's of papers are coming out for Kerry. They do make a difference. Look at the Des Moine Register endorsement of Edwards in Iowa prior to the caucus--helped propell him to a strong second.

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3. Yes, I'm impressed with the tone of this editorial.

They really seem to convey a sense of the crucial importance of the election -- something out of the ordinary. And apparently they are planning to follow up with 21 days of close examination of the record. Should be interesting.