Obama gets early endorsement

With some estimates that one-third of US voters will have cast their ballots in the presidential well before Election Day, some newspapers are declaring themselves way early as well.

After the New York Post endorsed Republican John McCain two weeks ago, the Seattle Times came out Sunday for Democrat Barack Obama.

"An economic Katrina is shattering the confidence of hardworking, middle-class Americans," its editorial begins. "The war that should never have been in Iraq is dragging on too long. At a time of huge challenge, the candidate with the intelligence, temperament and judgment to lead our nation to a better place is Sen. Barack Obama."

"Obama should be the next president of the United States because he is the most qualified change agent. Obama is a little young, but also brilliant. If he sometimes seems brainy and professorial, that's OK. We need the leader of the free world to think things through, carefully. We have seen the sorry results of shooting from the hip," the editorial continues.

While a candidate's character and policies probably won't dramatically differ by Nov. 4, the danger of deciding so early, of course, is a lot can change in the dynamics of the race. For instance, one or the other could either tank or soar in the debates -- the first one is Friday. And events in the nation and the world could change minds in arguing for one or the other as the better choice.