This comment was long, off topic, and looked to me as though it were automated or a cut-and-paste job. I deleted it.

Please keep your comments short, to the point, and on topic.

James, you should put your name at the bottom when you do this, I thought at first angellight was complaining about someone else's post.

On Nov. 4 we’re going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose.

The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States./blockquote>.

Obama could not lead piss ants to a picnic. Although, he looks like he has done a good job of leading lemmings to the edge of the cliff.

Please keep your comments short, to the point, and on topic.

Dave Schuler

However, I think the Chicago Tribune’s endorsement of Barack Obama is news:

Sure, the Trib has never endorsed a Democrat, but this isn't really news--not only because, as Matty says, Obama is from Chicago.

They have been telegraphing this for weeks-even at one point asking readers who the paper should endorse.

More importantly, however, is the fact that the Tribune is a fundamentally different paper. The new owner, Sam Zell, certainly isn't a liberal--but he is an opportunist of epic proportions. He's given tons of cash in the past to McCain and he's given tons of cash in the past to Democrats, including HUssein.

He basically wants (and needs) to suck as much capital out of the Trib as possible to meet the debt obligations he leveraged to buy the company last year.

This move will not only ingratiate him to Hussein if he wins--but, obviously, having Hussein as Pres will raise the prominence of Chicago globally which will undoubtedly be good for business.

Furthermore, Zell generates further buzz by thwarting "tradition."

Given the shenanegans he has pulled with Wrigley Field and the Cubs, it is pretty clear that his main interest is in getting a quick buck. This endorsement does that.