(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-26 10:21

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican contender John McCain have received the golden blessings of the influential New York Times newspaper, marking a big boost to their bids for the White House.

A supporter of Democratic presidential candidate US Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) holds up a sign reading "Hillary Gives Me Hope" at the "Election Eve Stump Meeting" hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party in Columbia, South Carolina January 25,2008. [Agencies]

In an editorial Friday, the leading liberal national newspaper backed the New York Senator (Clinton) and the Arizona Senator as its primary choices in the presidential race.

"The next president needs to start immediately on challenges that will require concrete solutions, resolve, and the ability to make government work," the newspaper said. "Mrs Clinton is more qualified, right now, to be president."

Citing the former First Lady's ideas -- "her comeback in New Hampshire and strong showing in Nevada, her openness to explaining herself," the newspaper concluded that she is "the best choice for the Democratic Party as it tries to regain the White House."

The paper also recognized Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama's popularity among voters with his understanding of "how much they are hungry for a break" with President George W. Bush's years, as well as "for leadership and vision and true bipartisanship."

However, the paper said, "We need more specifics to go with his amorphous promise of a new governing majority, a clearer sense of how he would govern."

Although the newspaper disagreed with all Republicans running for president, the editorial still has a choice to make, "and it is an easy one."

"Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe," the paper said.

Currently, the two Senators have respectively led their parties in the national polls.

Clinton is facing serious challenges from Obama in Saturday's South Carolina primary, since the latter is expected to win more support from black voters who account for more than half of the Democratic voters in the state.

McCain is speeding up his campaign in Florida, the delegate-rich state at which former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani is also aiming.

"That man is not running for president," the New York Times said, adding that Guiliani is not their choice.