Dear editor,

It was not surprising that the Warren Times Observer endorsed John McCain. What came as a shock, however, was the manner in which you chose to endorse him. The first 7 paragraphs were respectable and fair, the rest was questionable at best.

The Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 was created by Charles Hagel [R] and McCain signed on as a cosponsor months after it had already been written and introduced. The bill was blocked in the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs which was controlled by Republicans and it never made it to the floor for a vote. The notion that it was killed by "liberals" is false. Also, if McCain was such a strong supporter of this resolution, why didn't he resign as a cosponsor after its revision and reintroduction in 2007?

The most disturbing section of your article, however, was your decision to reprint the wild exaggerations regarding Barack Obama's connections to William Ayers. Obama served on two community boards with Ayers along with many civic leaders in Chicago. They were never "pals" or "buddies" and Obama has continually denounced Ayers illegal actions during the 60s. Every respected news organization in this country has dug into these allegations and found them to be false and misleading.

On the other hand, a shallow investigation into John McCain's character and associations would have uncovered his very close and well documented personal connection to Charles Keating in the late 80s, the chairman of Lincoln Savings & Loan Association who perpetrated one of the largest bank frauds in US history. On Keating's bidding McCain was one of five senators who attempted to block regulators from discovering the scandal. This is undisputed and, in light of our current economic crisis, far more troubling than Obama's exaggerated connection to Ayers.

A complete response to your article in 400 words is impossible, so I'll stop here by simply saying how disappointing it is to see your local newspaper descend into the same fear mongering abyss occupied by scurrilous political mailers and robo-calls. Your McCain endorsement was predictable; this, however, is something I'd expect from the Inquirer or Shawn Hannity. Barack Obama has spent his life serving his community and the American people. You may question his policies, but there are no clear grounds to question his character. He is a good and decent man.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Eggleston, Warren