Clinton, McCain backed by NYT

The New York Times’ influential editorial board has endorsed Hillary Clinton and John McCain in the run up to Super-Duper Tuesday. In a pair of articles published today the Times made the case for the two candidates they believe deserve their parties’ nominations.

For the Democratic race the newspaper believes that Clinton’s experience is the deciding factor. She has "tackled complex policy issues", and even when she has failed she has shown a desire to learn and change. Although Obama’s message of transformation is inspiring, he has yet to prove he can cope with the same level of political responsibility. Purely in terms of dealing with America’s current problems the paper sees Clinton as a safer pair of hands and admits to being dazzled “by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect”.

The paper criticised Clinton, however, for the aggressive tone of her campaign. It advised that she alter her approach so as to avoid dividing the Democratic Party and the country.

On the Republican side, the newspaper claims that McCain is the best out of a bad bunch. McCain’s record of “working across the aisle to deliver sound bipartisan legislation” means he offers hope to a broader cross section of America, compared with all the other Republican candidates. Although the paper chastises him for occasionally pandering to the right, he is still the only Republican candidate to talk about global warming in a meaningful way, and unlike all of his rivals he hasn’t repositioned himself to the right on immigration.

The paper is strongly critical of Rudy Giuliani. The man who cleaned up New York in the 1990s is not the “narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man” who is running for President now. The Times accuses him of enormous arrogance and of turning 9/11 into a lucrative promotional tool.

FIRST POSTED JANUARY 25, 2008