New York Times Endorses Clinton and McCain, Slams Rudy

Yawn 1, yawn 2. I know this is a big endorsement for the two candidates, but surprising? No.

First, McCain, who has picked up steam (and money, raising $7 million this month); the NYT takes a swipe at the lunatic professional "Christian" set and warmongering neo-cons that have done a fabulous job of taking the country down a dark moral path:

We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president. The leading candidates have no plan for getting American troops out of Iraq. They are too wedded to discredited economic theories and unwilling even now to break with the legacy of President Bush. We disagree with them strongly on what makes a good Supreme Court justice.

Still, there is a choice to be made, and it is an easy one. Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field.

...Mr. McCain was one of the first prominent Republicans to point out how badly the war in Iraq was being managed. We wish he could now see as clearly past the temporary victories produced by Mr. Bush's unsustainable escalation, which have not led to any change in Iraq's murderous political calculus. At the least, he owes Americans a real idea of how he would win this war, which he says he can do. We disagree on issues like reproductive rights and gay marriage.

My favorite part of the endorsement, however, is the absolute blast Rudy Giuliani receives. The NYT could have continued its lovefest with the Tool, but it shot a Taser into the former NY mayor: