I am endorsing Barack Obama for the next President of the United States because he has the character and patience that his alternative no longer possesses.

Although his position on many issues, such as Iraq and education, play a large role for me, the last month of debate- and speech-watching have made it clear that his temperament is one that a president needs to possess, and that John McCain’s does not possess. In a world of uncertainty, the next president will likely need to address more foreign leaders than ever, and Obama can do so rationally and respectfully. In a United States with a weakening economy, the next president will need to address Americans and congressmen with rationality and respect as well.

McCain once, but no longer is a man who can do either of these things. Obama is.

— Steve Adams is a graduate student in journalism and mass communication from Annapolis, Md.