Denver Post: Damning With Praise

The Denver Post editorial endorsement of President Bush is one of the most qualified (the opposite of "ringing") that I have read. It begins with a litany of how Coloradans are not better off today than in 2000 -- but insists that Bush is more "decisive" than Kerry and will better play the terrorist card.

In making this endorsement, we don't see that American politics need to be so polarized. Just for the record, we consider both Bush and Kerry qualified to be president, and we don't think the world will come to an end if voters turn to the Democrat.

Bush has labored erratically since his 2001 inauguration, and his first-term performance seems to have cheered and angered Coloradans in equal numbers. But decisiveness is a crucial characteristic in the showdown with the nation's elusive enemies. We believe he meets the test, and we aren't sure about John Kerry. So the president has our endorsement for a second term, even as we call on him to steer a more moderate course that is in keeping with his campaign appearances, but not his first-term performance.