Monday, December 24, 2007

Presidential primary recommendations

The Nightly Build...

Huckabee and Obama

Who would have guessed a year ago that Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama would be the recommendations of The Dallas Morning News for the presidential nominees of the Republican and Democratic parties in 2008?

The Dallas Morning News compared the policy positions of each candidate against the paper's own editorial positions. Then, they considered intangibles like character. Finally, they ignored all that and picked the candidates who best offer a "clean break" from the past (Huckabee) and a "refreshingly new approach" (Obama).

OK, that may be harsh, but that was my impression reading their recommendations. More and more, presidential elections are decided, not on issues, but on personalities. Not who would you rather run the country, but who would you rather share a beer with at a barbeque. Not who advocates what's best for America, but who are you going to be comfortable watching on television for the next four years. The Dallas Morning News wants a pastor-in-chief or a conciliator-in-chief as an antidote for the "divisive, hard-edged politics" of recent years. Good luck with that.

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