Obama or McCain: Your Turn to Choose

Here is the editorial from the Indianapolis Star telling voters to choose the next president. No endorsement was made by the newspaper. You can read newspaper editor Dennis Ryerson's story on what the editorial board went through before publishing this non-endorsement. his comments were republished here in a previous post.

Obama or McCain: Your Turn to Choose

Americans on Nov. 4 will choose between two presidential candidates with great strengths but also significant weaknesses.

Democrat Barack Obama is eloquent and charismatic. He has enthralled millions of new potential voters and brought hope to many Americans who for far too long have felt excluded from full participation in the democratic process, particularly African-Americans and young people. He promises a sharp break from past policies at a time when much of the public longs for a change in the nation's direction. Obama also offers the potential to shape an administration with an inclusive and collaborative style of leadership, a quality lacking in Washington for far too long.

If elected, however, he also would be the most inexperienced president in modern American history, only four years removed from service in the Illinois Senate. And experience matters greatly in a president, particularly in the area of foreign affairs.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Gen. Wesley Clark, in meetings with The Star Editorial Board last spring, both of whom at the time were campaigning for Sen. Hillary Clinton, noted how damaging presidential inexperience has been to the nation, from the administrations of John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. That is a primary reason why The Star's Editorial Board endorsed Clinton in the primary election after interviewing her and Obama.

On the domestic side, Obama's tax proposals also are cause for concern. He would use the federal tax code to create in essence a new entitlement program for millions of American workers, sending them government checks even though they would pay no income tax. Obama's liberal stand on social issues also clashes with the Editorial Board's longstanding positions on such matters.

Republican John McCain has a long and distinguished record of service to the nation. His personal sacrifices, including more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, deserve the gratitude of all Americans. He has been a strong, bipartisan leader in the Senate, pushing, among other issues, for reforms in the campaign finance system and pork barrel spending.

McCain, however, has delivered a muddled message on how to confront the economic challenges facing the nation. He also is unlikely to provide a sharp enough break from the Bush administration's policies on the economy and foreign relations. His running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, also has limited experience, raising concerns about her readiness to lead the nation if needed.

The Editorial Board is made up of eight ordinary people, privileged by position to hear more directly than most Americans from the candidates and their campaigns but also affected, like all Hoosiers, by hopes and fears for the nation and state. Board members take the responsibility to offer political endorsements seriously, weighing candidates' strengths and weaknesses and balancing those judgments with the opinion page's long history of support for traditional values and opposition to intrusive government programs.

After lengthy and impassioned discussions, the Editorial Board remains evenly divided, along philosophical lines, over whether McCain or Obama is the better choice for president. For that reason, the board will withhold an endorsement in the presidential race this year.

That decision should in no way discourage any voter from enthusiastically casting a ballot. The issues facing the United States are critical, and the two major-party candidates offer sharply contrasting visions of how the nation should proceed. It's more vital than ever that Americans help shape their future by active participation on Election Day.

source: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081026/OPINION08/810260331