I’m a 61-year-old registered Republican who didn’t vote for the current occupant of the White House. Nor did I vote for his Democrat opponents or any other Republican or Democrat candidate for president in the last 25 years. That might change this year. I have pretty tough standards, and this year will be no exception.

We first need to change the culture of Washington and the way our politicians govern. They need to recognize who they work for. This goes for Congress and the president. When 75 percent of the American and Iraqi people say they want us out of a war that has killed more than 4,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis because our president lied, we need a new president willing to admit we’re wrong and get us out pronto. We need to repair the damage and come home. And we need to hold those responsible accountable. In other words, show a little integrity for a change and try to regain the respect of the world community.

With all that is going on in the world, both politically and technologically, we need a president who is smart enough to understand and respond rationally and even-handedly to events. We need someone who will think and listen to others before acting. Our next president needs to be a good communicator and negotiator, with an open mind, willing to listen to what our adversaries have to say before judging them or engaging in the bully tactics of the past. We can’t let our policies be dictated by the profiteers of the military-industrial complex or foreign countries who have dictated our policies in the past. After all, our current fiscal and economic problems are directly or indirectly tied to our policies of meddling around the globe. Perhaps that’s why the two presidential primary candidates who received the most contributions form military personnel were Ron Paul and Barack Obama. John McCain doesn’t get it!

Richard D. Manuel

Grove City, Ohio