Obama Is First Democrat to Land Tribune Endorsement

In its first-ever endorsement of a Democrat in a US presidential election, the Chicago Tribune touts Barack Obama as the candidate “to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose.” It cites its backing of independents against Republicans as precedent, decisions similarly “driven by outrage at inept and corrupt business and political leaders.”

The paper says Obama’s spending and tax-cut promises seem certain to create trillions in debt, but faults John McCain as “hard to figure these days,” blasting particularly his choice of running mate. “Obama is deeply grounded in the best aspirations of this country, and we need to return to those aspirations,” the Tribune writes. “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 US.”
(More newspaper endorsement stories.)