The Political Inquirer

The editorial board of the Des Moines Register, Iowa’s largest newspaper, has endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton (see endorsement) and Sen. John McCain (see endorsement) for their respective caucuses. Of Clinton, the Register writes:

In the Senate, she has earned a reputation as a workhorse who does not seek the limelight. She honed knowledge of defense on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She has proactively served rural and urban New York and worked in the national interest, strengthening the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Clinton is tough. Tested by rough politics and personal trials, she’s demonstrated strength, resolve and resilience.

Can she inspire the nation? Clinton is still criticized in some quarters for being too guarded and calculating. (As president, when she makes a mistake, she should just say so).

Indeed, Obama, her chief rival, inspired our imaginations. But it was Clinton who inspired our confidence. Each time we met, she impressed us with her knowledge and her competence.

The times demand results. We believe as president she’ll do what she’s always done in her life: Throw herself into the job and work hard. We believe Hillary Rodham Clinton can do great things for our country.

Meanwhile, the Register recalls McCain’s record as a maverick to explain its decision to endorse him:

Time after time, McCain has stuck to his beliefs in the face of opposition from other elected leaders and the public. He has criticized crop and ethanol subsidies during two presidential campaigns in Iowa. He bucked his party and president by opposing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. A year ago, in the face of growing criticism, he staunchly supported President Bush’s decision to increase troop strength in Iraq.

In this campaign, he continues to support comprehensive immigration reform — while watching his poll standings plunge. Some other candidates refuse to acknowledge that climate change is a serious threat caused by human activity. McCain has worked on the issue for seven years and sponsored bills to limit greenhouse-gas emissions.

McCain would enter the White House with deep knowledge of national-security and foreign-policy issues. He knows war, something we believe would make him reluctant to start one. He’s also a fierce defender of civil liberties. As a survivor of torture, he has stood resolutely against it. He pledges to start rebuilding America’s image abroad by closing the Guantanamo prison and beginning judicial proceedings for detainees.

Commentary beneath the fold…

This endorsement is a victory for the Clinton campaign, coming as it does from a newspaper with an established liberal point of view. In 2004, the Register endorsed John Edwards, one of that cycle’s most liberal candidates. It could easily have done so again, or it could have gone for this cycle’s liberal darling, Barack Obama. Instead, it went for Clinton, and it went for her for precisely the reason that Clinton herself says voters should go for her: experience. The Register’s endorsement only enhances Clinton’s claim to the experience mantle.

It’s less clear that this endorsement will benefit John McCain. The Register is Iowa’s largest newspaper, but, as noted, it also has an established liberal point of view. Many of the reasons the Register’s editors give for endorsing McCain – campaign finance reform, opposition to the Bush tax cuts, comprehensive immigration reform, support for climate change legislation, and his opposition to torture and Guantanamo Bay – are marks against him among some Republicans. Moreover, the Register’s reservations about McCain – including “his opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage” and his support for the Iraq War – are positives among many Republicans. Thus, I don’t see the Register’s endorsement giving McCain much of a boost. Joe Lieberman’s endorsement could prove much more significant.

Incidentally, I agree with the Register’s decision to endorse Clinton. Of the three Democratic front runners, Hillary Clinton is the only one whose policy views are anything resembling moderate. Barack Obama and John Edwards seem to be in competition for the title of Most Liberal, a credential that might help them in the primaries but will probably do more harm than good in the general election. Moreover, Clinton’s experience – both in the Senate and, yes, as first lady – provides her with more federal expertise, especially in the critical area of foreign policy.

I’m less sure about the Register’s decision to endorse McCain. It seems to me that, given its liberal bent, the Register decided to endorse McCain as the lesser of the Republican evils. In other words, McCain is the Republican candidate most palatable to the liberal editors of the Register. Again, this isn’t likely to help McCain among Republican caucus goers in Iowa, although it could benefit him in the general election in the unlikely event that he actually captures the Republican nomination. McCain’s reputation as a maverick is most helpful to him among non-partisan independents and moderates in both parties, so it could make him a formidable general election opponent. But first he has to get the Republican nomination, and I don’t see this endorsement helping him one bit in achieving that goal.