Over the weekend, the Press-Telegram made their Presidential pick and announced their endorsement, as all major American publications do for some reason.

Their choice: Sen. Barack Obama, citing his poise and ability to challenge others to “strive toward greatness.”  But it certainly didn’t come easy, and the P-T even left wiggle room in case they change their minds between now and November 4th.  Read on:

Americans are starved for leadership. But leadership and politics come together only when the dominant values are authenticity and courage.

That’s what we hope to see from both of these candidates in the remaining few days of their campaigns. It’s possible, if one should clearly surpass the other in committing himself convincingly to those values, we could change our minds yet one more time before the ballots are cast.

But not likely. Barring that, our recommendation is to vote for the candidate who thus far has shown greater stability, wisdom, and at least the potential to challenge Americans not just to prevail, but to strive toward greatness. In our judgment, that is Barack Obama.

What do you think of the Press-Telegram‘s endorsement?  Will it have any effect on Long Beach voters who read the P-T?

By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor