To the editor:

Two facts, among others, mark this failed and flawed presidency: 1,000 deaths in Iraq, most of them combat-related, and a record deficit for this year ($422 billion). The first is a tragic consequence of a war sprung from obsession and, once begun, poorly provided for in terms of materiel and ordnance. The second is a part of the president’s failure to be a steward of the economy for all citizens.

It is hard for me to understand why any ordinary citizen would want four more years of this. President Bush has bungled the “war on terror” by essentially abandoning Afghanistan and the search for al-Qaida’s leadership. He and his administration have presided over an economy that has lost a record number of jobs, now currently being replaced with mostly low-paying jobs with no benefits.

Give me a president who understands the importance of nourishing the public sector, who appreciates the real needs of the vulnerable and dependent, and who knows the machinery and costs of combat from the inside-out.

Dennis Saleebey,

Lawrence