The flagship newspaper of thoroughly Mormon Utah liked the old Mitt Romney, he of the 2002 Olympics and the Massachusetts governorship. But the editors are not so enamored of this new version, and lay out the case against Romney, and for Obama:

In considering which candidate to endorse, The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romneys domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust.Therefore, our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term. Romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first.

That's the conclusion; the lead-in is even tougher on Romney.It is hard to paint the SLT as a bastion of East Coast liberalism; they warmly endorsed Orrin Hatch for reelection, and supported former GOP Sen. Bob Bennett, to my mind a classic, old-school conservative who was unfortunately ousted in the 2010 primary by a Tea Party candidate.Newspaper endorsements have perhaps zero influence on the electorate. Heck, they may send people in the opposite direction. And Mitt is killing it with his fellow Mormons, judging by the polling. But it seems notable, if not striking, that the hometown newspaper of the Latter-day Saints cannot endorse the first LDS candidate for president in U.S. history.Did the Boston Globe endorse Kennedy or Nixon?