Editorial | Obama for President

Senator Obama is not our savior.

He will not solve all our problems in his first hundred days. He will not restore the economy overnight.

But while Senator McCain is a candidate with a compelling history of public service, Obama offers a compelling vision for the direction of this country. It is for this reason that we endorse him for president.

During this historic election, the Illinois Senator has demonstrated a willingness to build consensus and engage intellectually with people who disagree with him. In the debates, we saw a thoughtful and prudent leader who could back up his policy proposals with hard evidence.

When we endorsed Senator Clinton for the Democratic ticket in April, we expressed concern over Obama's ability to back "Yes we can" with "How we can." In the past few months, he's shown us how.

On major domestic issues, Obama offers substantive reform. His American Opportunity Tax Credit would give students more college options in exchange for public service. His proposals to simplify financial aid forms will make higher education more accessible.

And, unlike McCain, Obama views America's cities as economic assets that deserve federal investment, rather than economic liabilities that can be neglected. Philadelphia will benefit from Obama's plan to adequately fund the Community Development Block Grant and federal infrastructure projects.

We still admire McCain's principled leadership on many issues, including earmark-reform, torture and the War in Iraq. But recently, the Arizona senator has abandoned his principles and pandered to the far-right. In response to the financial crisis, McCain offers tired rhetoric instead of a unified economic plan. Perhaps most worrisome of all, McCain has selected a vice presidential candidate who is singularly unqualified to deal with the challenges of the White House.

In our short lives, this is the first time that a candidate has brought so many people into the political process. Obama's intelligence and vision for this country have inspired millions. We give him our wholehearted support.

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