Chicago Sun Times endorses Giannoulias

[impik]

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We endorse Democrat Alexi Giannoulias for the Senate, impressed by his character, his achievements as state treasurer and his obvious great potential. With a triumvirate of Giannoulias, Sen. Dick Durbin -- the Democratic Senate whip -- and President Obama, every squeak and chirp in Illinois would be loudly heard in Washington.

We're throwing in with Giannoulias, though, with a touch of frustration, knowing that his Republican opponent, Rep. Mark Kirk, is the candidate with the longer resume, the candidate we have endorsed many times before. But in the past few years, Kirk has become more of a mystery to us, not less, exaggerating his resume, flip-flopping on some issues and refusing to take a stand on others for fear of offending any segment of voters.

We will never understand in particular why Kirk felt the need to falsely puff up his already impressive military record.

We no longer know who Kirk is, where he stands or what he would do.

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Full kickass endorsement article:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/endorsements/2782816,CST-EDT-edit08.article

[mucifer]

1. Thanks for the post. No surprise the chicago trib endorsed kirk.

[karynnj]

2. The Sun Times endorsement is great - they really went for the jugular on Kirk

It is pretty damning to say of a long time politician, "We no longer know who Kirk is, where he stands or what he would do." and "Kirk has become more of a mystery to us, not less, exaggerating his resume, flip-flopping on some issues and refusing to take a stand on others for fear of offending any segment of voters." defines him as the opposite of a profile in courage.

Here's a link to the Tribune's endorsement of Kirk - It actually is not all that bad - they do say some good things about him - and the negative is that he will vote as a Democrat. (Not really a negative for everyone.)

Alexi Giannoulias is an engaging man — good humored, unfailingly considerate, and by every account a loyal friend. The essence of his campaign is that he's a buddy of the president and will vote with Democratic leaders nearly 100 percent of the time.

Giannoulias doesn't put it that bluntly. But neither does he pretend to be independent of party orthodoxy, from health care regulation to tax hikes to Big Labor's beloved "card check." Ask Giannoulias what federal spending bill of the last two years he would have opposed and, after some painful-to-watch evasion, he cannot name one. Ask him where he most strenuously disagrees with his party's policies and watch his intellectual gears grind as he grasps for anything controversial on which he disagrees at all.

So if you're looking to elect a party-line Illinoisan to the Senate, you have your man. On the climactic Senate votes that define this nation's very future for better or worse — be they on spending obligations or defense policy or industry bailouts — Alexi will be on the bus.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-ussenate-1008-20101007,0,1396908.story

If you read the whole thing they do go into both candidate's problems. The best thing for Kirk is that it makes a case that he is independent.