Bucco, your intense disrespect for Barack Obama has continued unabated since pretty early in his campaign. But he was elected and he will be our President at least until January 20, 2012. That's just a simple fact.

I voted for George Bush for his first term, but as his administration progressed I grew to dislike his political style, the people he surrounded himself with, as well as his abandonment of things he promised while campaigning. I don't think my feelings were quite as intense as yours are for Obama and I'm glad they weren't. I made the decision not to vote for a second Bush term about halfway thru his first. But then I tried to spend my time trying to understand the issues and listening to those that were campaigning to replace him.

I'm glad I did. As you know, my consideration lead me to vote for Barack Obama. I thought he was the best candidate for President at the time I entered the voting booth. My confidence and certainty with my decision was far from 100%, but I had only one choice.

I haven't been at all happy with all that President Obama has done so far, but it's certainly not all bad. I have decided not to vote for him for a second term. But I'm glad I won't be inhibited by intense emotions against him any more than I was for George Bush. While I won't vote for Barack Obama again, I'm glad my emotions will permit me to think about more important issues than those that you cite and recite as you have again above. Bush and Obama were both our Presidents, for better or worse. If nothing else, both occupy an office that all Americans should respect, even if they don't have strong feelings for the person.

I think such intense emotion interferes with the ability to properly assess what is being done by this administration, and maybe more importantly what's not being done. Not everything this administration has done has been bad. But the intense and growing enmity between the Obama partisans and those of his opponents is clearly interfering with the governance of the country. Too much time is being spent on partisan politics and nowhere near enough on addressing the many increasingly critical problems facing the country. We are a country that is in a tailspin in many respects, but those in the cockpit are more interested in winning the wrestling match over the steering wheel than they are in preventing the inevitable crash.

Just think about how our Congress is currently operating. Unless I've missed a vote, in recent months any legislation sponsored by the Democrats or proposed by the President is opposed 100% by the Republicans. They can't even reach some sort of agreement on legislation that the GOP sponsored themselves only a year or so ago! There are no statesmen left, no conciliators, no negotiators. All we have are partisans, and they are growing more and more fractious and recalcitrant. Unless things change, the roles may be reversed if the GOP regains control of one or both houses of Congress. Does anyone think this is good for this country? Does anyone believe that the form of government designed by our founders is what we're seeing in 2010? My answer is a resounding NO! to both those questions.

As I said, Barack Obama will be President for another three years or so. It might be a more productive exercise to simply put Barack Obama aside to a back corner of your mind, and concentrate on really understanding what we need to demand and expect from the next President of the United States and the Congress that will form his administration. To think about and write letters such as quoted above, again and again and again doesn't accomplish a whole lot in my mind. You won't be able to change him for another three years, so why get all upset by your feelings for the man? You and I are both going to vote for someone other than Barack Obama for POTUS in 2012. I'd much rather be discussing the issues that will be facing those candidates than "listening" again to how much you disrespect the current occupant of the office of President.

Sorry for the criticism. It is intended to be constructive.