The Financial Times endorsed Democratic senator John Kerry for US president in late October 2004, arguing that incumbent George W. Bush had damaged American standing abroad and pursued a reckless economic course.
The London-based financial daily charged that Bush had divided the world since the September 11 attacks, relying on what it called faith-based politics and military power as the primary tool of foreign policy. The Iraq occupation was cited as evidence of that approach failing, along with a broader deterioration in relations with allied nations.
Kerry, the FT acknowledged, had yet to prove himself on domestic policy and owed much of his political momentum to opposition to Bush rather than a compelling agenda of his own. Still, the paper judged him the "better, safer choice" for his respect for international alliances and willingness to recognize errors.
On the economy, the FT argued that a Kerry administration would likely return to the fiscal discipline of the Clinton years, in contrast to Bush's combination of tax cuts and low federal interest rates, which it characterized as short-term fixes rather than sound policy.
The Wall Street Journal was noted as consistently critical of Kerry. The Economist was due to issue its own endorsement later that week, ahead of the 2 November election.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.