Leadership: Because we have a president bent on radically changing America in ways few of us want, Tuesday's vote will be the most important most of us will ever cast. Fortunately, a challenger has stepped forward with the experience, capabilities and character to save the country at this time of peril.
In this space four years ago, in the wake of Barack Obama's election, we joined with others in "celebrating an event in which all Americans can take justifiable pride."
"The election of an African-American as president," we said, "will show that most of us have indeed 'moved on,' overcoming prejudice and fulfilling the promise that anyone can achieve anything in this great country if they set their mind to it.
"Seeing so many once-disenfranchised Americans turn out by the millions, bursting with pride and anticipation, gladdens the heart and offers hope for even better race relations in the future."
But "when all the cheering and self-congratulation die down," we added, "Americans should understand that the election of Barack Obama may be momentous in another way:
"We may have elected not only one of the least experienced candidates in our history, but one who may be guided by some principles different from what we're used to and on which the nation was founded."
Having just run a 21-part series titled "The Audacity of Socialism," a play on Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope," readers had a good idea of the "different principles" we were referring to.
It's with no surprise, then, but not a little sadness that we've watched how this president's inexperience and fealty to radical ideas have manifested themselves in the four years since. As the list on this page and the next attests, Obama has weakened this nation in every way — economically, militarily and internationally.
Of this, there can be little argument. The only question that remains is whether he's doing it intentionally, as many of our readers suspect, and whether, at the end of the day, he has America's best interests at heart.
Whatever the case, Barack Obama must not be allowed to continue down this track, and the issue now is whether Mitt Romney is a suitable replacement.
Endorsements can come in different strengths, from strong to lesser-of-two-evils tepid. In Romney's case, ours is strong. Let us explain why.
Two months ago, at the end of the Republican convention that formally made him the GOP nominee, Romney's potential as a national leader was not as clear as it is now. The resume was there — building Bain Capital, turning the Salt Lake Winter Olympics around, governing as a Republican in deep-blue Massachusetts. His choice of Paul Ryan as a running mate implied a commitment to sound conservative policy.
His victory in the Republican primaries showed he knew how to campaign (and was no slouch as a debater). But it took the challenge of a head-to-head presidential campaign to prove he was up to the job of the presidency.
What have we learned about Romney since August?
First, he has his priorities right. He focuses on what needs to be done to get the country moving again. He has a serious plan to rein in the deficit, reform taxes and spur economic growth. The president, who has no such plan, tries to make big issues out of small things like free contraception. Romney doesn't take the bait. He stays on course.
Second, he knows how to make the case for conservative policy to the political center. This skill infuriates the Obama campaign, which claims Romney has abandoned positions that won him the Republican nomination. But he hasn't. He's out there stumping for lower marginal tax rates, a private-insurance option for Medicare and peace through strength. Polls consistently show him beating Obama soundly among independents.
Third, he's a man of character. We mean this not just in the negative sense — that he's untainted by scandal — but in reference to the sum of his personal qualities. Obama's legions did all they could to paint Romney as greedy and heartless, but the public's not buying that picture, especially after the debates.
What people see is a man of warmth and generosity who loves his country and genuinely wants to serve it. They also see a serious man. He knows the difference between politics and entertainment. He passes on late-night talk shows.
Some might call him retro. We see him as mature. We welcome a grown-up in the Oval Office for a change, someone who will apply his years of real-world experience and wisdom to solving the nation's looming problems instead of miniaturizing the office by dwelling on division and petty politics.
Going into this campaign, it was easy to see the relevance of Romney's track record. In fact, it was almost uncanny how well his business and political experience jibed with the challenges he would face as president:
The nation needs a president who understands how business works; enter Romney of Bain Capital. It needs someone who knows how to turn around a failing enterprise; enter Romney of the Olympics. It needs someone who can work across party lines to get things done; enter Romney the Republican governor of Massachusetts.
Of course, it's a big jump from Boston and Salt Lake to gridlocked Washington, or from private equity to the broken global economy. There's never anything quite as big as the presidency. But Romney is as ready as anyone could be. And if we've learned anything about him by now, it's that he has a way of rising to the occasion.
More:
Obama's 4 Years Of Deficient Leadership: 47 Mistakes -The Record: Big media and left-leaning pundits are engaged in an effort to revise the history of Barack Obama's four years in the Oval Office. But the facts are clear: Obama is the biggest presidential failure in modern history.
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