Dear President Obama,I have watched and listened now through many months ofcampaigning and now three nationally broadcast debates. Aside from your rather listless performancein the first debate, everything else has pretty much been a draw. I would like to comment on a trend in yourcampaign however; a trend that culminated in what I must say was a less thanimpressive performance in the final debate. You spoke at the Al Smith dinner just last week of having great personalrespect for Mr. Romney, yet everything about your tone and bearing last nightwas condescending, and bordered on the sort of social bullying behavior youmight expect to see in a junior high classroom.
Several of your responses to your opponent reflectedoutright disrespect and belittling of a reasoned opinion that does not agreewith your own. This was done at a debateover foreign policy, which is really all about diplomacy and management ofrelationships with individuals whose interests often diverge from yourown. Mr. Romney underscored his willingnessto work with others, yet you sat there and derided differing opinions as ifthey were stupid. Rather than taking the opportunity to educate others as towhy you believe your opinions and policies are better, you chose to imply thatyour opponent, and his supporters, are dumb.I am certain this shored up your base; as certain as I amthat you hurt yourself with those who were still on the fence. You derided Mr. Romney for thinking that themilitary is like playing a game of battleship, yet it is you who appeared lastnight to be thinking about the military as a game. Your essential assertion that aircraftcarriers are the be-all, end-all shows a complete lack of understanding ofwarfare. The United States has notfought a complex military engagement since World War II, and while carriers area great asset in such situations, they are also the largest targets on thewater. With the development of newmissile technologies in China meant to neutralize aircraft carriers, it isnecessary to have sufficient craft at sea to support and protect our largeassets.
You seem, Mr. President, to have bought into the notion thatair superiority is all that is needed. From your reliance on aircraft carriers and your derision of bayonetsunderscores a lack of understanding that wars are still won on the ground. It’s not the pilot screaming overhead whostabilizes the situation, but the men and women on the ground. They are the ones who secure U.S. objectivesin war time; they are the ones in the sights of the enemy; they are the oneswho must constantly be on the watch for IEDs or opponents wearing friendlygarb. And sometimes in the heat ofbattle, the only thing left between you and your opponent might be the bayonetyou so openly derided last night.Mr. President, in foreign policy and in domesticcommunications, we need a leader who is gracious but strong; someone who canexplain issues of import without putting down those who are listening. We need a leader who can, as Teddy Rooseveltsaid, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” That is not what I saw on television last night, sir. What I saw was a man who sunk to petty jabsand, frankly, unbecoming theatrics to counter arguments he doesn’t have answersfor. It’s not the tenor or imageprojected by your campaign in recent weeks, either. Now Mr. President, I voted for your fouryears ago. I was one of your biggestsupporters early on; but it’s become increasingly clear that you have forgottenhow this relationship works. That is tosay, you work for us, not the other way around. We’ve had this conversation before; it’s in your file. I’m afraid you might want to clean out yourdesk, sir. Your interests and theinterests of the United States of America are no longer the same. You’re fired, Mr. President.
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