Listening to President Barack Obama's Oval Office speech about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and all the problems that need to be addressed at home, I was impressed by his calm, intelligent, straightforward discussion of the issues, free of divisive political cheap shots. I was impressed how he spoke to the American people adult to adult, how he acknowledged his differences with President George W. Bush over getting into the war but praised Bush's patriotism and called us all to "turn the page" and move forward together. How he was trying to lead the whole country.

Then I thought of all the belittling barbs of his tea party critics, how people accuse him of being nearly a traitor to America's ideals, with no redeeming attributes. Well, all I saw was a good and decent and thoughtful and gracious human trying to rationally lead this country, and I was grateful such a person was our president. Conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, we want those attributes in every president.

If you didn't hear his address, you owe it to the country, especially if you despise Obama, to go online and listen to it (www.whitehouse.gov).

Jeff O'Brien

Salt Lake City