Following news he has moved into contention in polls for Michigan's January 15th primary, Senator John McCain gets a boost - from two Democratic newspapers. He was endorsed by The Des Moines Register in Iowa:

Time after time, McCain has stuck to his beliefs in the face of opposition from other elected leaders and the public. He has criticized crop and ethanol subsidies during two presidential campaigns in Iowa. He bucked his party and president by opposing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. A year ago, in the face of growing criticism, he staunchly supported President Bush's decision to increase troop strength in Iraq.

McCain would enter the White House with deep knowledge of national-security and foreign-policy issues. He knows war, something we believe would make him reluctant to start one. He's also a fierce defender of civil liberties. As a survivor of torture, he has stood resolutely against it. He pledges to start rebuilding America's image abroad.

The force of John McCain's moral authority could go a long way toward restoring Americans' trust in government and inspiring new generations to believe in the goodness and greatness of America.

The whole editorial is available at the link above. The paper also endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic caucuses.

McCain scored again with the Boston Globe:

McCain was praised as a straight talker whose honesty at political cost might help a polarized nation. The board called him an antidote to the "toxic political approach'' of the last two presidential elections.

''McCain's views differ from those of this editorial page in a variety of ways. Yet McCain's honesty has served him well,'' the board wrote. "As a lawmaker and as a candidate, he has done more than his share to transcend partisanship and promote an honest discussion of the problems facing the United States. He deserves the opportunity to represent his party in November's election.''

The rest is at the link above. On the Democratic side, the paper endorsed Barack Obama.

Endorsements are of questionable effect, especially when Democratic newspapers choose a candidate in a Republican primary (or vice versa), but this can only be considered good news for McCain. His campaign has been slowly but surely coming back from a summer free-fall which found him going from frontrunner to single digit support, and every little bit helps. He is currently polling fifth in Iowa, but second in New Hampshire.