Ed Koch endorses Obama

I was hoping in a comment yesterday that some congressional Republicans would publicly express their dismay re: McCain-Palin. That hasn't happened (yet). But former New York City mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat who endorsed George W. Bush in 2004, has just endorsed Barack Obama. From Koch's statement:

Protecting and defending the U.S. means more than defending us from foreign attacks. It includes defending the public with respect to their civil rights, civil liberties and other needs, e.g., national health insurance, the right of abortion, the continuation of Social Security, gay rights, other rights of privacy, fair progressive taxation and a host of other needs and rights. If the vice president were ever called on to lead the country, there is no question in my mind that the experience and demonstrated judgment of Joe Biden is superior to that of Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin is a plucky, exciting candidate, but when her record is examined, she fails miserably with respect to her views on the domestic issues that are so important to the people of the U.S., and to me. Frankly, it would scare me if she were to succeed John McCain in the presidency.

You can read Koch's full statement here: Koch backs Obama, calls Palin "scary" (Ben Smith's Blog, at Politico)