Opinion: Plaintive, plaintive call for an endorsement
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Last time we posted your recommendations for the 2008 presidential campaign, we referred to it as positively the ‘last batch’ of letters. So of course, here’s the next installment. Manhattan Beach’e own Janie MacHarg doesn’t mince words, with a subject line that reads: ‘Please Endorse Barack Obama.’ Her reasons:
Thank you for inviting your readership to submit opinions on your upcoming endorsements for the presidential primaries in California. I am a 62 yr. old white female, who lives in Manhattan Beach. I am the niece of a long-ago politician, Robert Y. Thornton, who served as the Attorney General of Oregon for 16 years, from 1953-1969. When I was a young girl, my uncle taught me the paramount importance of honesty and integrity in a politician. Although I voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, and have admired Hillary Clinton in past times, I am now thoroughly disheartened by and disappointed in both Clintons. My past admiration for Hillary has dissipated to the point of being almost non-existent, so great is my disgust for her willingness to twist and distort the meaning of Barack Obama’s words and record. It is worse than mis-representation; Bill and Hillary are both shamelessly telling bald-faced lies with straight faces. I implore the Times editorial board to endorse Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate. I do so for many reasons I won’t enumerate here, but integrity and an ability to think intelligently about how to address old problems in new ways, particularly in the area of foreign policy, are high among them. I think Sen. Patrick Leahy’s endorsement of Sen. Obama said it best — we need Barack Obama because he is the person ‘who can reintroduce America to the world, and actually reintroduce America to ourselves.’ Thank you for listening.