But does the tongue-in-cheek cover imply a change in editorial direction for a publication that had approached the candidacy of Barack Obama with a decidedly critical eye?

That was under former Sun editor Leland Lehrman, who mounted a short-lived U.S. Senate candidacy as a Democrat before pulling out earlier this year. Under his own byline, Lehrman blasted Obama as more conservative than the usual assessments would seem to indicate.

“I would never have done this,” Lehrman told the Independent via e-mail regarding the current issue of the Sun.

In a seperate e-mail, the new editor, Jerry Greenker, confirms that the Sun has a new attitude regarding the would-be Democratic president.

“I think it is fair to say that our editorial outlook re: Obama has changed significantly,” Greenker wrote.

Asked if he thinks the speculative “Obama Wins!” headline and accompanying story might harm Obama’s chances in New Mexico – and embolden conservatives who will cite the Sun as a prime case of Obama media cheerleading, Greenker just brushes it off.

“We do not believe that printing this headline/editorial will hurt Obama’s chances of winning,” he explained. “We certainly hope that people who vote are smarter than that.”

So no matter how you cut it, ”hope” remains the key word for this year’s election.