Not Everyone In Wyoming Was Paying Attention To Cheney's Endorsement Of McCain... Or Were They?

They waited 'til the very end but today the Casper Star Tribune editorial board endorsed Barack Obama. Yeah, that's Wyoming-- full of Mormons and right-wing fanatics cut off from "real" America. Obama will probably do under 40% there, probably nearly as badly in the other heavily Mormon, anti-American states of Utah (32%) and Idaho (29%), states in their own world of make-believe who chose not to participate in a national day of cleansing tomorrow but prefer to rot in their own filth. The Star-Tribune warns them away from theri pigheaded stupidity and bigotry today:

[T]his isn't an ordinary election, and Sen. Barack Obama has the potential to be an extraordinary leader at a time we desperately need one. The next occupant of the White House will inherit a national economy that's collapsing and two wars our nation has been fighting for years, depleting valuable resources we need to fix a multitude of domestic problems. Far too many of our nation's citizens live paycheck to paycheck, worried about whether they'll have a job next week or if a medical crisis will bankrupt them.

What America needs most in these troubled times is a president who will move the country in a positive direction. The candidate who is most likely to chart a new course that will lead us to better days is Obama. Moreover, he is the best candidate for Wyoming.

In our state and across the country, Obama has reinvigorated his party and won over independent and even GOP voters. A record 7,000 people participated in Wyoming's Democratic county caucuses, which Obama convincingly won.

Obama earned the endorsement of Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who has an 80 percent approval rating in Wyoming and is probably the least partisan governor in the nation. Cynics may say Freudenthal wants a job in an Obama administration, but it's simply not in the man's character to set aside his Wyoming values for personal gain.

...Two of the best ways to judge presidential candidates is by looking at how they conduct their campaigns and who they select as vice president. On both fronts, Obama wins impressively.

We may not always agree with Sen. Joe Biden's decisions, but Obama tapped him to bring valuable foreign policy experience to the ticket. There is no question that the longtime senator is capable of serving as president if needed.

McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, however, shows extremely poor judgment. She has shown repeatedly that she is simply not ready to fill McCain's shoes... We endorse Barack Obama for president.

No mention of local-boy-made-bad, Dick Cheney. Who could blame them? Cheney has a negative job rating among three quarters of the American people, even (slightly) worse than Bush's. And, you see, even in Wyoming rational people easily understand this:


Meanwhile, Dan Froomkin over at the Washington Post has quite a bit to say about Cheney's endorsement yesterday of McCain and, pointedly, Sarah Palin, his parting gift.

President Bush is hiding from public view until the election is over -- and for good reason. But Vice President Cheney briefly emerged from the shadows on Saturday to praise the McCain-Palin ticket. And Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama quickly brandished Cheney's appearance like a cudgel.

"John McCain's latest endorsement?" asks a rapidly-prepared Obama campaign ad [see below]. Up pops Cheney, proclaiming: "I'm delighted to support John McCain, and I'm pleased that he has chosen a running mate with executive talent, toughness, and common sense, our next vice president, Sarah Palin."

Campaigning in Ohio, Obama told voters at his rally that McCain has earned that endorsement. And he asked the obvious question: "Do you think Dick Cheney is delighted to support John McCain because he thinks John McCain is going to bring change, because he thinks that somehow John McCain is really going to shake things up, get rid of the lobbyists, and Haliburton, and the old boys club in Washington?"