I know that some Obama supporters were touting this endorsement and who knows maybe some still do. But I think this editorial really wasn't so much about supporting Obama as it was to bash Senator Clinton. I don't think that this endorsement would swing any tried and true undecided Democrats to Obama's side. The decision of the editorial board was not based upon substance but personal vitriole. I wonder if it could create a backlash.....

"But Barack Obama is, at least, likeable. He is a good enough orator that there is no need to cringe when he dares to speak off the cuff. He is a good politician, in the non-insulting sense that he knows how to speak to individual Americans and give them the feeling he cares about their concerns..."

This is insulting in my opinion. BO should tell them to go to hell. But he won't. He likes these types of endorsements.

WORST. ENDOREMENT. EVER.  They can f*ck themselves.

Also the WORST ENDORSEMENT EVER, in addition to worst endorement.

I don't necessarily support Barack Obama. But I will say that he does bring in the wingnut and indies to speak  up for him. As a progressive, that's disturbing to me. On the one hand, my goal is to win the White House, and we must do it. So, I am happy to see Obama bringing indies into the tent for us. On the other hand, to think that he's a Republican stalking horse, is disturbing for a progressive. I would like to see a Clinton/Obama ticket. I know, I know, that sounds so naive. I don't know if that's possible, after the rancor, but it would be an incredible political story, and a grand, fun way to watch the GOP wither...

On the OTHER hand, the very LIBERAL counterpart to the Journal, the Las Vegas Sun endorsed Hillary Clinton in their lead editorial today. I am not sure if it was an official, explicit endorsement, but the editorial comments speak for themselves, loud and clear:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jan 16/clinton-clear-winner

Clinton is clear winner

Clinton, coming off a convincing win in the New Hampshire primary last week, had a commanding grasp of the issues that top the lists of everyday Americans and demonstrated she is more than ready to be president.

A defining moment of the debate was when moderator Tim Russert asked Obama about a comment he'd made to the Reno Gazette-Journal. The newspaper reported that Obama acknowledged he doesn't have the experience to run a bureaucracy, but he said voters weren't looking for a chief operating officer.

Clinton responded that there was a difference between the two candidates on this issue, and that you have to be able to manage and run a bureaucracy and hold it accountable every day.

Indeed, President Bush's hands-off style of governing, which can be seen notably in the fiascoes in the handling of the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina, is something the United States can ill afford again. We need proven leadership at the helm, not someone who will need on-the-job training.
...
But it's time for a reality check. It is critical to note that Edwards, when he was a senator, voted in favor of Bush's nuclear dump plan and Obama was not yet in the Senate when the vote was taken. Of the three candidates, Clinton, who represents a state with nuclear power plants that want to get rid of their waste, showed real courage, real leadership and real solidarity with Nevada in voting against Bush's Yucca Mountain plan.

All in all, this was an engaging and substantive debate, one in which Clinton demonstrated why she is the best-prepared, best-qualified Democratic candidate.

This strong rejection of Obama and strong pro-Clinton language is probably in response to the right-wing's LV Journal's endorsement of Obama.  

Of course, the SUN also had this to say about the Jounal's endorsement of Obama:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/ralston s-flash/2008/jan/16/barack-obama-least-l ikeable/

But Barack Obama is, at least, likeable.

They could have been more patronizing. They could have been more disingenuous. They could have been more cynical (Just read the opening sentence.).

But I don't see how.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal's endorsement this morning of Barack Obama is an exemplar of intellectual bankruptcy, designed to be an attack on Hillary Clinton by using a phony embrace of Obama. It is likely to have the opposite effect because Democratic activists loathe the RJ -- and they are who will be voting Saturday. And with the RJ's track record on major endorsements, this could be, as CityLife Editor Steve Sebelius put it, the kiss of death for Obama's campaign.

and Republicans crossing over to vote in Democratic contests, Obama still has a chance to get the nomination.

Well that's a pretty bad endorsement and they said they picked Obama because they thought he was the weakest. I wonder if they wanted to hurt Obama? I'm sure his campaign is not happy about it actually.