The editors of The New Yorker weighed in on the presidential election today, opting for Sen. John F. Kerry. In "The Choice," the editors write, among much else:

The Bush Administration has had success in carrying out its policies and implementing its intentions, aided by majorities -- political and, apparently, ideological -- in both Houses of Congress. Substantively, however, its record has been one of failure, arrogance, and -- strikingly for a team that prided itself on crisp professionalism -- incompetence. [...]

Throughout his long career in public service, John Kerry has demonstrated steadiness and sturdiness of character. . . . Kerry has made mistakes (most notably, in hindsight at least, his initial opposition to the Gulf War in 1990), but -- in contrast to the President, who touts his imperviousness to changing realities as a virtue -- he has learned from them. [...]

Kerry’s mettle has been tested under fire -- the fire of real bullets and the political fire that will surely not abate but, rather, intensify if he is elected -- and he has shown himself to be tough, resilient, and possessed of a properly Presidential dose of dignified authority. While Bush has pandered relentlessly to the narrowest urges of his base, Kerry has sought to appeal broadly to the American center. In a time of primitive partisanship, he has exhibited a fundamentally undogmatic temperament. In campaigning for America’s mainstream restoration, Kerry has insisted that this election ought to be decided on the urgent issues of our moment, the issues that will define American life for the coming half century. That insistence is a measure of his character. He is plainly the better choice.

An excellent -- and quite lengthy -- editorial. And the magazine's first-ever endorsement.

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