'Right-wing conspirer' endorses Clinton
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AFP) — A Pennsylvania newspaper owned by billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife, once accused by Hillary Clinton of funding a "vast right-wing conspiracy" against her husband, Sunday endorsed the Democrat's presidential run.
Ahead of Tuesday's primary vote in the gritty northeastern state, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said the New York senator was the "smart choice" for Pennsylvania Democrats over her rival Barack Obama.
The inexperienced Illinois senator was a dangerous bet for the presidency, the newspaper said in an editorial.
"In sharp contrast, Clinton is far more experienced in government -- as an engaged first lady to a governor and a president, as a second-term senator in her own right," it said.
"She has a real voting record on key issues. Agree with her or not, you at least know where she stands instead of being forced to wonder."
Scaife staged a surprising switch last month, asserting he had "changed my mind" about the "impressive" Clinton after she answered questions for 90 minutes from the owner-publisher and his editorial board.
In its endorsement, the Tribune-Review said Clinton had been brave to accept Scaife's invitation for a meeting given the newspaper's longstanding and sometimes acerbic criticism of her.
"That is no small matter: Political courage is essential in a president. Clinton has demonstrated it; Obama has not," it said.
In 1998, at the height of the Monica Lewinksy scandal, Clinton said Scaife was at the big-spending heart of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" investigating her husband Bill's financial dealings and sex life.
Most of Pennsylvania's other major newspapers have, however, endorsed Obama heading into Tuesday's pivotal primary. Polls suggest Clinton is on course to win, but not by a blowout margin.
