The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain Saturday for their parties' presidential nomination.
The Inquirer said in an editorial posted on its web site that McCain, an Arizona senator, has "personal bravery, political courage and a confident sense of how he would lead this country."
"He's the authentic candidate in a field of wannabes and flip-floppers," the paper wrote.
For Democrats, the Inquirer said Obama, an Illinois senator, "offers more than pretty words."
"In debates and speeches, he has provided details of a White House program that, with adjustments, could produce the outcomes this nation needs," the paper wrote.
"Obama is the best Democrat to lead this nation past the nasty, partisan, Washington-as-usual politics that have blocked consensus on Iraq; politics that never blinked at the greedy, subprime mortgage schemes that could spawn a recession; politics that have greatly diminished our country's stature in the world," the Inquirer said.
While criticizing McCain for his willingness to keep US troops in Iraq indefinitely, the paper praised him for opposing the Bush administration's condoning of torture for enemy combatants.
Pennsylvania votes April 22 but neighboring New Jersey and Delaware, which include areas where the Inquirer circulates, vote Feb. 5.
