CA Newspaper Tahoe Daily Tribune Endorses Obama

[Hope And Change]

Editorial: Obama, Huckabee right choices in Tuesday's California primary


With four days to go before voters in California and 21 other states nominate candidates for president, obvious choices for the world's highest office are beginning to emerge.

With the withdrawal of Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat John Edwards, the field has narrowed to a select few, and of those, we think Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee are best-equipped to lead the country.

Obama is in a neck-and-neck struggle with Sen. Hillary Clinton; Huckabee with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain. Rep. Ron Paul is a distant fourth.

In historical perspective, Obama and Clinton clearly are the highlights of the 2008 race. In November, America will vote for its first female or African-American presidential candidate, an exhilarating prospect.

Many voters are fed up with the direction the United States has taken under the Bush administration. They're ready for change and expect it from the Democratic front-runners.

While Clinton clearly is a savvy, intelligent and forceful politician, her ability to unite the nation is highly questionable.

Clinton never seemed to greatly benefit from former President Bill Clinton's popularity. People seem to either hate her or love her, and unfortunately her 50-50 split among Americans doesn't engender confidence.

Bill Clinton's unusually rabid attacks on Obama's credibility of late haven't helped. The assaults were petulant and petty and hurt his wife's appeal.

Though the Obama campaign drew criticism for overreacting to Hillary Clinton's statement lauding former President Lyndon Johnson for pushing through civil rights legislation after Martin Luther King's crusade, Obama himself stayed above most of the fray.

The Tribune is endorsing Obama for these primary reasons:

-- Obama will unite the country. Democrats, and at least some Republicans, have gravitated to him for reaching across the political divide. Justified or not, Clinton carries an unhealthy load of baggage that would hinder bipartisanship and derail her initiatives.

-- Obama's race will gain the U.S. credibility around the world. If American voters have the guts to elect a black man, other countries will take notice. Electing a woman president might similarly heighten the country's prestige, but here again, Clinton's perceived divisiveness might lessen the impact.

-- Obama has indicated that as president, he would immediately begin to remove troops from Iraq, withdrawing one or two brigades per month, with all gone in 16 months. Clinton says she would instruct her military advisers to formulate a plan for withdrawal beginning in the first 60 days of her administration. Obama has taken a clear stand. Clinton hasn't.

-- Obama and Clinton favor comprehensive immigration reform with increased border enforcement. Obama supports giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship and allowing them to obtain driver's licenses. Clinton opposes licenses. Obama also seeks to reduce immigration application fees and speed approval. Obama's approach makes more practical sense for our country.

http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20080201/Opinion/336287440