Kenya's Leading Paper (The Standard) Endorse Barack Obama for President

The Standard, a Kenyan Newspaper whose tagline reads "for fairness and justice" has endorsed Barack Obama for the Presidency of the United States. The Standard joins numerous other Newspapers and media houses around the world who have publicly declared their support for the democratic party candidate.

However, this particular endorsement is not surprising given Senator Obama's roots to Kenya, a country in which his father (Barack Obama Snr) was born. Such a befitting endorsement would only come naturally.

The newspaper said "Fittingly, Obama’s rallying call is hope. Our endorsement of Obama for President, which we present unequivocally, is because we believe he is the right man for the job"

"Barack Obama, who traces his roots to this country (Kenya).....represents the best of America and its values. As US newspaper editors endorsing his candidacy have agreed: "He is no lone rider. He is a consensus builder, a leader."

The paper praised Obama for his support for press freedom. In 2006, Kenyan media was up in arms due to what they called "Suppression of press freedom" after masked gunmen invaded The Standard Group and confiscated computers, destroyed newspapers and other media equipment. The attack happened just before Senator Obama's African tour in 2006.

"His character and temperament in the gruelling campaigns have impressed all. As for the ideas and values he articulates, we are proud to have heard first-hand of his support for Press freedoms when he visited the Standard Group’s offices in 2006, not long after an illegal police raid."

The paper described Obama as "the best man to fix the mess" that has been created by the Bush administration over the last 8 years.

"In these troubled times of America’s diminished influence overthe world, he (Senator Obama) presents the best chance to fix the mess that the US has put itself, and in turn, the world."

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Also read:
1.The Economist Say "Obama deserves the presidency"
2. The New York Times - World Respected Newspaper Endorse Barack Obama for President
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"Obama’s complex heritage offers him a perspective bereft of the baggage that has burdened and blighted his opponent’s campaign. Judging from the way he has run for office, Obama has displayed the knowledge and the wisdom that would avert many worries for the world, the sort that Bush has plunged it into.

The Iraq debacle, preceded by the one in Afghanistan, convey the senseless plunder that has made the world poorer, indelibly scarred and increasingly dangerous. Its legacy is a loss in the trust in the US to act responsibly in global affairs.

With uncertainty and crisis spreading across the globe, the return of an America more tolerant and respectful of the international community is keenly awaited. The American people deserve some relief as do the rest of the world.

Still, the most abiding motif that Obama would represent is encapsulated in the Latin expression: ‘Ex Africa semper aliquid novi!’ which means, ‘something new always comes out of Africa’.

The Economist Say "Obama deserves the presidency"

The Economist does not have a vote, but if it did, it would cast it for Mr Obama.

The magazine's editorial reads in part "We do so wholeheartedly: the Democratic candidate has clearly shown that he offers the better chance of restoring America’s self-confidence."

It also uniquivocally bashed the Republican nominee John McCain for "sloppiness" and being "particularly uninterested in economics", portraying him as unfit for office.

The magazine also took issue with Mccain's choice of advisors and the choice of sarah Palin as his running mate.

"Mr McCain has never been particularly interested in economics, but, unlike Mr Obama, he has made little effort to catch up or to bring in good advisers..... The choice of Sarah Palin epitomised the sloppiness. It is not just that she is an unconvincing stand-in, nor even that she seems to have been chosen partly for her views on divisive social issues, notably abortion. Mr McCain made his most important appointment having met her just twice"

Had he become president in 2000 instead of Mr Bush, the world might have had fewer problems. But this time it is beset by problems, and Mr McCain has not proved that he knows how to deal with them

"At the beginning of this election year, there were strong arguments against putting another Republican in the White House. A spell in opposition seemed apt punishment for the incompetence, cronyism and extremism of the Bush presidency......Mr McCain has his faults: he is an instinctive politician, quick to judge and with a sharp temper. And his age has long been a concern (how many global companies in distress would bring in a new 72-year-old boss?)"

Of course, Mr Obama will make mistakes; but this is a man who listens, learns and manages well - he deserves the presidency.

The New York Times - World Respected Newspaper Endorse Barack Obama for President.

Less than two weeks into the November 4th US elections, Democratic presidential nominee and Illinois Senator, Barack Obama has bagged another major endorsement from the New York Times. More than 20 other well respected international newspapers and publications have also endorsed senator Obama.

In its endorsement, The New York Times sees Senator Barack Obama as "the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States" .....to steer America back from an uncertain future - which is "hang(ing) in the balance after eight years of President Bush’s failed leadership, (characterized) by "two wars, a scarred global image and a government systematically stripped of its ability to protect and help its citizens"

"Mr. Obama has met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change. He has shown a cool head and sound judgment. We believe he has the will and the ability to forge the broad political consensus that is essential to finding solutions to this nation’s problems."

The paper has taken issue with Obama's main opponent and Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, saying that "he (McCain) has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running an ugly campaign that rests on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism."

"His (McCain's) choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress."

"Mr. McCain talks about reform a lot, but his vision is pinched. His answer to any economic question is to eliminate pork-barrel spending.......and offers more of the Republican every-man-for-himself ideology, now lying in shards on Wall Street and in Americans’ bank accounts"

"American financial system is the victim of decades of Republican deregulatory and anti-tax policies.....ideas that have been proved wrong at an unfathomable price, but Mr. McCain — a self-proclaimed “foot soldier in the Reagan revolution” — is still a believer."

Mr. McCain, who once opposed President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy as fiscally irresponsible, now wants to make them permanent. And while he talks about keeping taxes low for everyone, his proposed cuts would overwhelmingly benefit the top 1 percent of Americans while digging the country into a deeper fiscal hole.

Far-reaching reforms
The New York Times applauds Mr. Obama's proposed "far-reaching reforms (that) will be needed to protect Americans and American business.

"Mr. Obama is clear that the nation’s tax structure must be changed to make it fairer. That means the well-off Americans who have benefited disproportionately from Mr. Bush’s tax cuts will have to pay some more. Working Americans, who have seen their standard of living fall and their children’s options narrow, will benefit. Mr. Obama wants to raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation, restore a climate in which workers are able to organize unions if they wish and expand educational opportunities."

National Security
Mr. Obama was an early and thoughtful opponent of the war in Iraq, and he has presented a military and diplomatic plan for withdrawing American forces. Mr. Obama also has correctly warned that until the Pentagon starts pulling troops out of Iraq, there will not be enough troops to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, has only belatedly focused on Afghanistan’s dangerous unraveling and the threat that neighboring Pakistan may quickly follow.

Mr. Obama would have a learning curve on foreign affairs, but he has already showed sounder judgment than his opponent on these critical issues. His choice of Senator Joseph Biden — who has deep foreign-policy expertise — as his running mate is another sign of that sound judgment. Mr. McCain’s long interest in foreign policy and the many dangers this country now faces make his choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska more irresponsible.

Both presidential candidates talk about strengthening alliances in Europe and Asia, including NATO, and strongly support Israel. Both candidates talk about repairing America’s image in the world. But it seems clear to us that Mr. Obama is far more likely to do that — and not just because the first black president would present a new American face to the world.

Mr. Obama has withstood some of the toughest campaign attacks ever mounted against a candidate. He’s been called un-American and accused of hiding a secret Islamic faith. The Republicans have linked him to domestic terrorists and questioned his wife’s love of her country. Ms. Palin has also questioned millions of Americans’ patriotism, calling Republican-leaning states “pro-America.”

This politics of fear, division and character assassination helped Mr. Bush drive Mr. McCain from the 2000 Republican primaries and defeat Senator John Kerry in 2004. It has been the dominant theme of his failed presidency.

The nation’s problems are simply too grave to be reduced to slashing “robo-calls” and negative ads. This country needs sensible leadership, compassionate leadership, honest leadership and strong leadership. Barack Obama has shown that he has all of those qualities.

Click here to READ the rest of the Editorial in New York Times