Wash. Times runs column on Obama under the headline: "Black horse"

Summary: A Washington Times column reporting that Chris Matthews spoke about Sen. Barack Obama's presidential candidacy and the "galloping horse of history" ran under the headline "Black horse."

The Washington Times used the headline "Black horse" for a February 5 "Inside the Beltway" column by John McCaslin reporting on comments made by MSNBC host Chris Matthews about Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) presidential candidacy. The column quoted Matthews as saying: "Every couple of generations the galloping horse of history rides by ... [a]nd it's up to that generation whether to mount the horse and ride it." According to McCaslin, Matthews also said, "[I]f Americans were to nominate Barack Obama, it would be one of those moments in history when we choose a Franklin Roosevelt, a John Kennedy, a Ronald Reagan -- other times when voters jumped on the galloping horse of history and rode it."

After being named the Times' new executive editor, John Solomon praised the newspaper for its "insightful analysis, cutting-edge investigative reporting and diverse coverage." On Monday, Solomon distributed "Seven Guiding Principles for The Washington Times Newsroom." Under the first principle, "Excellence," Solomon wrote that the Times' reporting must avoid "wavering from a neutral, civil voice."

From McCaslin's February 5 column:

Black horse

How big of a deal would it be if Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois emerged from today's Super Tuesday voting as the leading Democratic contender for the White House?

"Every couple of generations the galloping horse of history rides by," MSNBC's Chris Matthews told Inside the Beltway yesterday. "And it's up to that generation whether to mount the horse and ride it."

Mr. Matthews explained that "if Americans were to nominate Barack Obama, it would be one of those moments in history when we choose a Franklin Roosevelt, a John Kennedy, a Ronald Reagan -- other times when voters jumped on the galloping horse of history and rode it."

And he expects that the entire world would respond in kind, not only with curiosity and intrigue, but with awe.

"If the country picked Obama, everybody in the world would pay attention. They'd be wondering, 'What's going on over there?' It would stagger the world, be so dramatic for our friends, for our enemies, for everybody," he said.

Otherwise, Mr. Matthews guessed that a White House race that might otherwise pit Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton against Sen. John McCain or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would not have near the same impact.

—R.C.