Republicans Coming Forward To Support Obama

You know, I miss the days of endorsements in the primaries, and I can't wait for the general election endorsements to come rolling in. Unfortunately we have until October before the big papers come out with their endorsements (who knows if they have any effect anyway), but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a few endorsements now...like the Republican Mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska:

Republican Mayor Jim Whitaker has said he is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

“My goal is to let Republicans have a clear understanding that their right to vote should not be restricted by any party affiliation,” the borough mayor said. He said the economic and political challenges facing the state and country are broader than political parties alone can address and suggested Republicans should consider crossing party lines by focusing on the strongest candidate this year.

Whitaker, a former state lawmaker, said a comparison of Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain leads him to believe Obama has the stronger “intellectual capacity” and a greater ability to manifest it.

Whitaker, who as a politician has often focused on energy issues, said he sensed an open-minded approach in Obama’s campaign toward traditional, alternative and renewable energy issues that can benefit resource-rich Alaska.

It is nice to see some people not so blinded by ideology and party affiliation that they can't bring themselves to vote for the superior candidate when the future of the country is at stake. I have a feeling we'll be seeing quite a few of these this time around though, as many Republicans have expressed deep reservations about McCain, some even saying that the thought of him in control actually scares them.

Another Republican also came out to support Obama today, this one being former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach:

"Like many, I'm astounded at Barack Obama's meteoric rise as a candidate, but I have no doubt that his is the leadership we need and that the world is crying out for," Leach said during a telephone conference call with reporters, arranged by the Obama campaign. "I also have no doubt that a lot of Republicans and independents are going to be attracted to his call for a new era of non-ideological, bipartisan decision-making."

Leach, a Davenport native who moved to Iowa City in 2002, lost his bid for re-election in 2006 after three decades representing portions of eastern Iowa in congress. Leach is considered a "moderate" Republican. "Basically from my perspective, this is simply not a time for politics as usual," Leach said. "The portfolio of issues that are going to be passed on to the next president will be as daunting as any since the Great Depression and World War II and that means that the case for inspiring new political leadership and a social ethic has seldom been more self-evident."

Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat, says Leach's decision mirrors that of many Iowa Republicans who've left their party, as there are now 90-thousand more Democrats in Iowa than Republicans on the voter registration record. "It seems to me that there are some big shifts going on in this state," Harkin says. "...The people of Iowa are saying that they want to give the Democrats a chance."

This will continue. Expect Sen. Chuck Hagel to be probably the biggest Republican to come out in support of Obama, at some point.

Update: More high profile Republicans who believe Obama would be a better president than McCain.