The Economist endorses Obama

I missed this until just now--The Economist's endorsement of Barack Obama. The magazine runs pretty conservative (they endorsed Kerry in 2004, but Bush in 2000 and Dole in 1996), so this counts as something.

Mr Obama in that respect is a gamble. But the same goes for Mr McCain on at least as many counts, not least the possibility of President Palin. And this cannot be another election where the choice is based merely on fear. In terms of painting a brighter future for America and the world, Mr Obama has produced the more compelling and detailed portrait. He has campaigned with more style, intelligence and discipline than his opponent. Whether he can fulfil his immense potential remains to be seen. But Mr Obama deserves the presidency.

The Economist also has an amusing "Global Electoral College". The final tally: Obama-Biden 9,115, McCain-Palin 203. The good news for McCain is that the world does not get to determine the next President of the United States. The bad news for McCain is that 55% of Americans prefer Obama to Arizona's senior Senator.