A Little Ray of Sunshine

The Seattle Times is, shall we say, not what one would call a voice of liberal politics. But Friday they ran an editorial that said:

Four years ago, this page endorsed George W. Bush for president. We cannot do so again, because of an ill-conceived war and its aftermath, undisciplined spending, a shrinkage of constitutional rights and an intrusive social agenda.

The Bush presidency is not what we had in mind. Our endorsement of John Kerry is not without reservations, but he is head and shoulders above the incumbent.

and:

There is in these positions a presidential blending of politics and religion that is wrong for the government of a diverse republic.

and:

Certainly, the man now in office forgot some of the things he said so fetchingly four years ago.

I don't know what influence this will have. Washington is alleged to be a "battleground state", and the Seattle Times is the largest daily paper in the state. But I have no clue about whether the 3 or 4 decision-phobic people left (those who haven't already made up their minds) care about what the Times says.

But it is interesting to read this, after hearing about the conservative relatives of various friends across the country, who are also fed up with George, particularly after the sliming of a decorated vet. I don't want to get my hopes up, because of my respect for the creativity and immorality of Rove, Inc., and my awareness of how many have made, and keep, their decision in face of all objective evidence. But maybe, just maybe John Kerry will win, thanks to a combination of Democrats and old-school Republicans unhappy with George's radical departure from traditional conservative governance.