Presidential Endorsement Race

Yesterday, it was the Washington Post. That was to be expected. As was the endorsement from the L.A. Times today. But most amazingly, the Chicago Tribune also weighed in today with its endorsement for Obama.

To understand the significance of this, you should know that the paper’s editorial board is decidedly and unabashedly conservative in nature and that this is the very first time the newspaper has endorsed a Democrat for president since the paper was founded in 1847.

“We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions,” the Trib Board writes, adding that, based on having “watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator to the Democratic Party’s nominee for president,” in their reassuring estimation: “He is ready.”

The Trib somewhat grandly concludes: “We are proud to add Barack Obama’s name to Lincoln’s in the list of people the Tribune has endorsed for president of the United States.” Ouch! The perfect circle from the launch of the campaign in Springfield to an unqualified endorsement and direct linkage from a newspaper that gave Lincoln the nod. So there you have it — yet another giant nail convincingly pounded into the coffin of the doomed McCain campaign.

If you care, the folks at Editor & Publisher have a running tally of endorsements. The current score stands at Obama with 57 newspapers (approx. 7 million circulation) and McCain with 16 newspapers (1.5 million circulation).

Update: The other Chicago daily, the Sun Times came out this morning with their endorsement for the that city’s “adopted son” saying that: “He has the unique background, superior intellect, sound judgment and first-rate temperament to lead our nation in difficult times.”