Seattle Post-Intelligencer Endorses Barack Obama

The Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's oldest newspaper, endorsed Barack Obama today.

P-I Endorsement: A time for change

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

Washington voters begin having their official say on the 2008 presidential election this week with the field substantially narrowed.

In this week's caucuses and the primaries that follow, Democrats are fortunate to have a difficult choice between two capable leaders whose largely similar visions on global warming, health care and the economy offer the best hopes for this country's future. In this history-making race, Sen. Barack Obama is the better choice over his worthy rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, because of the real prospects he offers for change in domestic policy, the tone of government in Washington, D.C., and the conduct of foreign affairs.

We are less enamored of the Republicans. Undisturbed by a wrongly launched war of aggression, the leading contenders have competed to show who would be best at standing by the Bush-Cheney legacy of arrogant intervention. Despite his embrace of a particularly dangerous stance on Iraq, Sen. John McCain stands out on the basis of his forceful climate change position, his independence and his distinguished record of public service.

If the two races remain undecided after Super Tuesday, Washington residents will have a rare opportunity to have a voice in the nomination outcomes, joining a healthy national conversation in which the public, more than the media, has taken seriously the prospects for change.

We're delighted the state's Feb. 9 caucuses offer plenty of excitement. The Feb. 19 presidential primary vote will help determine Republican delegate allocations (kudos to the GOP for respecting voters). But it's regrettable that Democrats have relegated their primary to beauty-contest status, a process that flies in the face of the party's own name. It's anything but democratic.

Barack Obama

Sen. Obama has emerged as an impressive, balanced thinker with a charismatic presence. His ability to address a wide range of ideas in nuanced yet deeply inspirational fashion could re-energize political discourse in a manner reminiscent of Franklin D. Roosevelt because Obama has the potential to lift us into a transformative era. Right now, too many Americans see their lives distorted by the misdirected post-9/11 age of secrecy, fear and division. Obama can help the country close that chapter.

The Illinois senator is a candidate particularly well equipped to improve the nation's performance in the world at large. Obama starts from sound, well-considered positions. He opposed the wrongfully launched Iraq invasion. After years in which U.S. leaders have forgone critical diplomatic opportunities with Iran and North Korea, Obama would start from a bolder, more engaged position. He would understand broader parts of the world in a more personal way than any recent president because he lived in Indonesia and has connections with Africa. His presence in the White House would cause the world to look to this country with a renewed hope for positive leadership.

On domestic issues, Obama's instinct for compromise offers a larger hope for a creative, less-contentious pursuit of a society with better education, health care and job opportunities.

For all practical purposes, a Hillary Clinton presidency could open just as many or more doors at home and abroad. Despite our differences with her Iraq war vote, we believe she would pursue Iraq questions skillfully. Democratic caucus-goers will have legitimate debates about whether her hard-won experience or Obama's freshness will better translate into much-needed changes on environmental, health and economic-equity questions. Either could be a worthy general election candidate.