Breaking News: John McCain the pick of S. Carolina's largest paper

The State, the largest and most respected newspaper in South Carolina, tonight endorsed John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination.

The newspaper's enthusiastic backing continues a growing string of endorsements that have helped revive the Arizona senator's once-flagging campaign: the Des Moines Register, the Boston Globe, Manchester Union Leader and virtually all the other newspapers of New Hampshire, where he won the GOP primary last Tuesday after fighting back for many months after he was written off as finished.

Headlined "John McCain clearly the best in GOP primary," The State's unequivocal editorial notes how other GOP candidates such as Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney have fled the state to concentrate their political and financial efforts elsewhere. Fred Thompson, the newspaper said, ...

"seems to be running in this first-in-the-South primary just to say he did." And it adds, "Ron Paul keeps on being Ron Paul, former nominee of the Libertarian Party."

The paper calls Mike Huckabee "an exciting newcomer who shows a wonderful ability to connect with voters’ concerns, and Republicans could do far worse than to choose him. But his utter lack of knowledge of foreign affairs is unsettling."

Then the newspaper continues about McCain:

"The value of his experience is multiplied by his integrity and independence. He is a slave to no ideology or faction. Not only will he work with anyone who wants to do the right thing anytime, he is usually the driving force at the head of coalitions to get the job done — from the Gang of 14 that broke Senate gridlock and paved the way for the confirmation of conservative judges to his principled leadership on campaign finance reform.

He knew the political risk he took leading the quest for a comprehensive solution to illegal immigration, but he believed securing our borders was too important a priority not to try.

He is deeply respected by his colleagues in both parties, despite the fact that, as he jokes, he has never sought the “Miss Congeniality” title. No one is as likely as he to fight, expose and defeat waste, fraud or corruption.

Experience, certainly. Integrity, even more so. But John McCain’s most conspicuous virtue is courage. He is a brave and tough man who unlike some candidates has no need to bluster, but is able to speak with humility and generosity to those with whom he disagrees. A McCain presidency would do much to restore confidence in American leadership, at home and abroad."

Noting the 71-year-old Navy flyer's nearly six years of torture and imprisonment in Vietnam, The State adds: "He evinces a wisdom born in pain, a confidence earned in many battles. When others despair, John McCain knows he has seen worse, and keeps striding forward."

The paper also praises McCain for his vision and persistence in pushing for the current military policy in Iraq. "John McCain has shown more clearly than anyone on the American political scene today that he loves his country," the newspaper says, "and would never mislead or dishonor it. He is almost unique in his determination to do what is right, whatever the cost. And he usually has a clear vision of what’s right."

Other than that, The State's editorial is hesitant about its choice of McCain. Then, in a separate and rather unusual video, The State's editorial page editor, Brad Warthen, explains the board's choice, revealing that the newspaper now regrets its endorsement of George W. Bush in the hotly-contested GOP primary of 2000 and believes that had McCain been elected president then instead, many of the ensuing years' mistakes could have been avoided.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[A R Smythe]

So "The State" gives its nod to McCain...just another establishment candidate. Vote for RON PAUL. www.ronpaul2008.com

[Winston]

"The State's editorial page editor, Brad Warthen, explains the board's choice, revealing that the newspaper now regrets its endorsement of George W. Bush in the hotly-contested GOP primary of 2000 and believes that had McCain been elected president then instead, many of the ensuing years' mistakes could have been avoided".
Yeah right, forgive me Andrew, but had McCain been elected president the Earth would be a smoking radiation encapsulated ember. So it true that many of the ensuing years mistakes would have been avoided. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Vargos]

I can understand why people like John McCain because he seems like he has a set of principles he follows, but the man doesn't understand the history of American foreign policy to vindicate his arrogance to persistently occupy Iraq. Also, I was disgusted by ethnocentric, smug attitude during the GOP debate in South Carolina when he called al-Qaeda or terrorists are interested in nothing, but "trading burkas".

The man may be a good person overall, but he slips and slides over his arrogant nationalism and forgoes history when it comes to understanding situations. I can't believe he doesn't understand half the issues like Ron Paul does when it comes to foreign policy. McCain is just going to have the United States embroiled in the Middle East that will only exacerbate the the U.S. role in Iraq and the surrounding area.

They're all warhawks, the top-tier candidates. The Democrats trying to show their brass balls and the Republicans beating the drums of war.

[John]

Hillary is busy shoring up her ILLEGAL ALIEN agenda in Los Angeles...as most Democrats appear to be doing.

Then she speaks about Unionism out of the other side of her mouth...while supporting INSOURCING of illegal aliens. You know, those are the MILLIONS that displace American workers, depress wages for working class Americans.

The ones that are responsible for the deficit in California, the ones that have cost the school system BILLIONS. (They send their tax FREE $25 Billion HOME to Mexico!)

Bravo Hillary...and her Mayor of the Illegals.

Mc Amnesty will NOT win. People see him for what he is...ANOTHER, George Bush.

[doug stark]

Yes. It's very important to me that my next president not be "ethnocentric."

I'm hoping for a real multiculturalist to help explain to people why the United States is just a big capitalist bully, and the radical Islamists are just poor, oppressed brown people who just want to be left alone.

Surely, the Great Leader Barrack Obama, can save us all from the ravages unleashed upon the world by freedom, democracy, and capitalism.

I trust the Great Leader. I do not question the Great Leader. The Great Leader is all-knowing and all-caring.

[Henk]

I wholeheartedly agree with the State's endorsement of McCain. He's the man for the job. The other candidates are good but McCain is great. I'm glad the State was willing to wade through all the nonsense that is being told about McCain, such as that his insistence on spending cuts to compensate for tax cuts is not conservative. McCain is the real Republican choice and the real conservative choice. His decisions are guided by conservative Republican principles, not narrow-minded Republican vested interests. It's sad that many have come to view pushing through partisan Republican decisions no matter what, supporting pork-barrel spending for causes hailed by Republican politicians and blind loyalty to some of Bush's failing policies as true Republicanism and true conservatism. True conservatism, however, is about the right to life, limited government and a strong defense, which is also what the Republican party should stand for, as John McCain does. The criticism that is leveled at McCain is therefore a good indication of the sorry state the GOP is in nowadays. McCain is just the man to drag the party back to where it should be.

[Armyvet]

Not since Dwight David Eisenhower have we had a retired career military officer as a candidate. The buttons we wore then said, "I LIKE IKE." The buttons for this year's election: "I LIKE McCAIN" "WE NEED McCAIN"
"CAN DO McCAIN" or simply "BIG JOHN McCAIN"

[Armyvet]

Billions going out of the country? I think it is time to put a 25% excise tax on out of country payments. Keep the money in our country.

[A True Democratic]

Obama is a hypocrite. He complains about the "Washington insiders and long-time Washington politician's," but he is quick to accept the endorsements of those "Washington insiders & long-time politiicans" such as John Kerry and others. This clearly shows what a hypocrite Obama is. He talks from both sides of his mouth.

[East Side Love]

Republicans ARE IN TROUBLE! ! They are the GRAND OLD party of NO IDEAS! The candidates look tired, inept, and completely out of touch!! They cant even MENTION the name of their party's leader who has led us irresponsibly into this war, taken away our civil liberties, and is addicted to borrowing from Mexico and China!!