Editorial: Preaching To The Choir By Endorsing Obama

(UWIRE) -- If national poll data is anything to be trusted, were about to preach to the choir. Among college students across the country, Sen. Barack Obama appears to be favored by more than 20 points. Just the same, were okay with joining that chorus of college voices supporting him. The man deserves it. We urge you to make Barack Obama Americas 44th president.

Writing prior to Virginias primaries in February, we spoke in airy tones of Obama as a visionary, as a voice for change. We supported Sen. John McCains nomination at the same time, praising his bipartisanship and pragmatism. In the intervening months, however, we watched with disappointment as McCains campaign eschewed the values wed so appreciated in favor of gimmickry and deceit.

While we acknowledge that a man is not his campaign, Obamas positions and poise have convinced us he will make the better commander-in-chief. He has surrounded himself with some of the best minds in America not all of them liberal which is a testament to his ability to build consensus and act thoughtfully. We trust that although he may take some positions with which we disagree, he has thoroughly considered both sides. After four years under President George W. Bush, Americans need a deliberator not a decider in the oval office. As much as McCain may distance himself from the current president, his vice presidential pick and campaign suspension bespeak a decision-making strategy that is, in a word, rash.

Obamas good judgment might mean most for America in repairing its broken bonds abroad. An increased reliance upon multilateral diplomacy is essential in what is quickly becoming a multi-polar world. The spat over meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without precondition proved that America must end its us-versus-them mentality abroad. Obama is the man to do it.

At home, Obama emerges the clear winner in environmental policy, an issue particularly salient to the college demographic. Something must be done to wean America from its carbon-based economy. The economic hardship today could avert the much larger costs of a changing climate in the future. Obamas planned investments in renewable energy, his commitment to preservation and his willingness to tackle climate change place him ahead of both his opponent and the current president.

We do hold some reservations about Obama when it comes to free trade. He has at times voiced opposition to free-trade, a stance we believe ignores the wealth of information on the benefits of globalization. Bringing down trade barriers has lifted millions of world citizens out of poverty. Foreign aid cant make that claim.

Just four years ago, we watched as a hopeful state senator from Illinois climbed the stage at the Democratic National Convention. This year, he took that stage again with dreams of the presidency. In January, we expect another speech, this time in front of the Capitol.