Economist Endorses Kerry

The Economist, one of my personal favorite magazines, has announced its endorsement of John Kerry for President. By no means a liberal magazine, the Economist endorsed Bush in 2000, but has decidedly contemplated that a change of course is needed for the country.

In the end, the choice relies on a judgment about who will be better suited to meet the challenges America is likely to face during the next four years. Those challenges must include the probability of another big terrorist attack, in America or western Europe. They must include the need for a period of discipline in economic policy and for compromise on social policy, lest the nation become weak or divided in the face of danger. Above all, though, they include the need to make a success of the rebuilding of Iraq, as the key part of a broader effort to stabilise, modernise and, yes, democratise the Middle East.

The endorsement is not as wholehearted as some would have liked, but it still a valuable endorsement considering the respect and range of the Economist.

More here, but beware, the Economist also had this to say:

Invading Iraq was not a mistake.

But hey, you take what you can get.