Politics: Sullivan Make It Official

Andrew Sullivan makes it official. Today he endorses John Kerry for President in The New Republic.

Don't dismiss this as "Who care what that guy thinks." I have my problems with Sullivan, but he is a good writer. He is a Republican and he is conservative. That is exactly why his endorsement has meaning and wieght. Try as he might to stick by his man, George W. Bush, Sullivan has been forced to reevaluate. The President has not turned out to be the President he ran as, nor the man Sullivan endorsed in 2000.

His endorsement for Kerry is fraught with doubts about the candidate that I don't share, and he concedes too much success to Bush, but Sullivan's conclusion is correct. He approaches this Election in terms of "Risk Management." While not enthusiastic about Kerry, Sullivan weighs the risks/rewards of each candidate on an array of issues, and comes up Kerry nearly every time. Particularly, and most notably, on the War in Iraq and the War on Terror.

This endorsement is not a complete surprise. Sullivan has been disenchanted with the President for some time now, but I thought he'd simply refrain from offering an endorsement. Andrew Sullivan commands a vast audience online and in multiple magazines (often including the back page in TIME), so this endorsement, like the many newspapers who have switched from endorsing Bush in 2000 to his opponent in 2004, should be welcomed as the great news that they are.

Pass this along to anyone you know who isn't quite sure about bailing on Bush or can't quite bring themselves to vote for Kerry. Sullivan makes a compelling case.