Making sense of the NYT endorsement of Clinton and McCain
I’m trying to makes sense but I don’t understand the NYT’s logic behind their endorsement of Clinton and McCain yesterday.
Yes, they are viable candidates. (Personally, I’m still on the fence about Clinton vs Obama to this day.)
But their rationale is so confusing. I just don’t get it. Some examples:
On McCain:
” The leading [Republican] candidates have no plan for getting American troops out of Iraq.”
” We have shuddered at Mr. McCain’s occasional, tactical pander to the right because he has demonstrated that he has the character to stand on principle.”
I don’t want to see any Republican candidate in office but how can the NYT feel like McCain is so great with the above point of view.
On Clinton:
”(she promises) to an end to the politics of division of George W. Bush and Karl Rove.” and then later they state
“we urge Mrs. Clinton to take the lead in changing the tone of the campaign. It is not good for the country, the Democratic Party or for Mrs. Clinton, who is often tagged as divisive”
Huh? How does she promise to end division with all of her history and the recent weeks of Rove-like attacks.
“We opposed President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq and we disagree with Mrs. Clinton’s vote for the resolution on the use of force. That’s not the issue now; it is how the war will be ended. Mrs. Clinton seems not only more aware than Mr. Obama of the consequences of withdrawal,”
This one really makes me upset and confused. They don’t like Clinton’s vote for war but somehow they believe that she is more “aware” than Obama on getting out? How is it that she has better judgement on this vs the candidate that was against the war in the first place?
I read through all the of the comments following the editorial. I think this comment from Eli in Syrcuse is one of the reasons I’m leaning towards Obama at this point. Eli writes:
“I am 23 years old. I have never known a United States without a Bush or a Clinton in the White House”
That’s doesn’t feel right to me.
We can do better.
