Two qualified men emerged from the exhausting nominating process as their party’s choice for the office of the President of the United States.

Sen. John McCain is a man who has fought for his country at home and abroad and has shown through his more than 25 years as a Congressman and Senator that he is not afraid to clash with his party or work across the aisle to get things done in Congress.

Sen. Barack Obama is a man whose rise in politics has taken the lawyer with a “funny name and big ears” to the top of his party. Obama’s unique American success story has reignited hope in government, and he promises to bring the change most Americans say they want to see in the White House.

Each of these men have spent almost two years on the campaign trail trying to convince the American people, pundits and party faithful each is the right man to inherit a host of domestic and foreign crises facing the nation after eight years of Republican rule.

Each man has laid out his policies – in debates, at rallies, on television, on the radio and on the Web. Both men have been the subject of and have survived political attacks. Both of these men are qualified, talented and proud Americans.

Only one of these men is the leader this country needs as it faces unprecedented domestic problems and inevitable foreign policy decisions: Sen. Barack Obama.

We believe Sen. Obama has risen above Sen. McCain in the race to the White House as the leader that is more qualified to address the host of difficult decisions this country’s next leader will face come Jan. 21. We endorse Sen. Obama as the candidate this country needs in its time of economic and foreign crises.

The primary issue on voter’s minds is the current status of the global market and the future of the American economy. Neither candidate has lain how they exactly plan to approach this problem nor how they would trim their proposed budgets to address this issue, but Obama has earned our confidence and the confidence of the American people when it comes to the economy, according to several national polls.

Obama’s focus on maintaining American competitiveness by improving education – a front that President Bush failed to make progress on – shows his knowledge of how America has succeeded in the past: innovation. The most effective way to engender innovation is by supporting education.

Sen. Obama’s pragmatic approach and sincerity of speech is refreshing when compared to the hot-tempered and erratic tone of Sen. McCain during the campaign. As seen by the variety and volume of his supporters, Obama appeals to a diverse demographic and has earned the majority of Americans’ confidence when it comes to the economy.

Obama aims to fight the economic inequality generated during Bush’s presidency by proposing tax cuts for the staple of the American economy: the middle class.

Sen. McCain’s desire to continue Bush-style tax cuts and his apparent disinterest and ignorance on economic issues shows how he is not the man this country needs in its time of economic crisis.

We are drawn to Obama also because of his ability to mend America’s damaged image throughout the globe during Bush’s years at the helm. Obama is a comsmopolitan who has shown time and time again that he will work with our allies and take steps away from the calloused and condescending foreign policy of McCain and the man he voted with 89 percent of the time since 2001.

As for the two wars our country continues to fight, Obama has been steadfast in his insistence to withdraw American troops from Iraq – a war that we unjustly entered – and refocusing the effort in Afghanistan. We believe this approach is correct, as the men who attacked our country on Sept. 11, 2001, are in Afghanistan and the mountains of Pakistan, but we worry that Obama will abandon the progress that the surge of troops have brought in Iraq.

In this precarious moment in American history, this country needs change. We believe Obama is the right man to bring that change, and is more prepared than his opponent to guide this country out of the perilous waters we have been sailing for the past eight years.