New York Times endorses Obama for Prez

New York, Oct 24: The New York Times endo-rsed Dem-ocrat Barack Obama for US President, saying he had "met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change."

The Times posted its endorsement on its Internet site on Thursday evening and was to publish it in Friday editions of the newspaper. In early 2008, the newspaper endorsed New York Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, but it said Mr Obama had long ago erased the reservations that led it to make that decision.

"He has drawn in legions of new voters with powerful messages of hope and possibility and calls for shared sacrifice and social responsibility," the Times said. "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 newspaper declared that the choice between Mr Obama and Republican John McCain was easy. "Mr McCain, whom we chose as the best Republican nominee in the primaries, has spent the last coins of his reputation for principle and sound judgment to placate the limitless demands and narrow vision of the far-right wing," it said. The endorsement was not unexpected. The Times endorsed Democrats John Kerry in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000.

According to Editor & Publisher magazine, Mr Obama is outpacing Mr McCain in newspaper endorsements by about three to one, even winning the nod of the Chicago Tribune.

—Reuters

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Barack has 13-pt lead

Washington, Oct. 24: Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama holds a 13-point lead over Republican rival John McCain, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows. Mr Obama now leads Mr McCain 52 per cent to 39 per cent among likely voters nationwide, roughly the same lead he held last week.

Just five per cent are undecided, and more than nine in ten of each candidate’s supporters say their mind is made up. Mr Obama’s lead among independent voters, who have swung back and forth between the candidates, has fallen 12 points since last week — though the Democratic nominee still holds a 45 per cent to 39 per cent edge among the group.

—ANI