In the past few weeks we've run into a lot of Republicans and independents who have come around to Sen. John McCain even though they said they could not have seen themselves supporting him a year ago. And yet their support for him is enthusiastic, not reluctant.

We know exactly how they feel.

Regular readers of this page will know that we have our differences with Sen. McCain. Through the years we have been very critical of his positions on campaign finance reform and immigration reform in particular. But the beauty of the New Hampshire primary is that voters -- and editorial writers -- get to meet presidential aspirants in person and judge them not on a checklist of policy positions but on their character, too.

The reason John McCain has won so many newspaper endorsements in New Hampshire is the same reason he's winning over New Hampshire Republicans who disagree with him on some issues. When you meet him in person, his character and integrity are instantly apparent.

When Sen. McCain met with us for two separate one-hour interviews, he never attempted to hide his real position by telling us what we wanted to hear. We cannot say the same for other candidates.

When we found ourselves in disagreement, it was Sen. McCain who immediately acknowledged it and tried to win us over to his position. He does the same on the campaign trail.

Sen. McCain is the only candidate on either side who seeks out voters who disagree with him and gives them first crack at questioning him. If he sees an anti-war protester, he calls on that person first. No other candidate in this race intentionally subjects himself to harsh questions in front of hundreds of undecided voters.

And yet, if his integrity were the only factor, he would not get our endorsement. Sen. Barack Obama has integrity too, after all. But Sen. McCain has integrity and is a genuine conservative.

The voters of New Hampshire are seeing that. They are questioning Sen. McCain and finding him to be a real conservative with real character. That's why he's winning Republicans back. And it's why, as the nominee, he will win the election in November.