The New York Times endorsed Democrat John Kerry for president, saying the US senator's "wide knowledge and clear thinking" are the makings of "a great chief executive" in an editorial to appear in its Sunday edition.
The Times noted that while Kerry's candidacy initially seemed mostly to tap into public dissatisfaction with US President George W. Bush, over time "we have come to know Mr Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo.
"We like what we've seen," the daily wrote in an editorial posted on its website late Saturday.
"He has qualities that could be the basis for a great chief executive, not just a modest improvement on the incumbent," the Times continued.
The Times' backing is one of the most coveted and influential of any endorsement during the US presidential campaign, although given the newspaper's somewhat left-of-centre tendency, not entirely unexpected.
"We have been impressed with Mr. Kerry's wide knowledge and clear thinking," the paper continued.
As for Bush, the Times had few kind words in calling for the end of his presidency, which the paper's editors referred to as "disastrous." The daily enumerated a litany of complaints - from the war in Iraq to tax cuts for the well-to-do, to his "disrespect for civil liberties and inept management" - in calling for his dismissal.
"Mr. Bush came into office amid popular expectation that he would acknowledge his lack of a mandate by sticking close to the centre. "Instead, he turned the government over to the radical right," the newspaper wrote.
Comments
Comments are closed.