To the editor:

I just had to comment about the March 7 front page article, “Island County goes for Mitt Romney.”

Norma Metcalf duly noted that “this country is in trouble,” but failed to mention that it took eight years of her party’s mismanagement to run America into this most recent ditch. I could go back even further to Reagan when the Republican Party declared war on all working people, including all educators but alas, another time perhaps.

Flawed as it is, the Obama administration has the world’s toughest job, getting America out of the ditch after wresting the wheel from a drunken frat boy and his minions.

I was darkly entertained by the “Newt’s a visionary — but he’s tough!” line. I began to envision some of the myriad ditches Gingrich could run America into and it made me shudder.

But I think the quote that really ran chills down my spine was the reference to President Obama apologizing to Afghanistan for inadvertently burning several of their holy books, which caused an uproar resulting in the deaths of six American troops. Metcalf  asked,  “Can you imagine Newt apologizing for America?”…eliciting enthusiastic applause.

This brought to mind another quote by another notable Republican. George H.W. Bush, when asked if America needed to apologize after inadvertently shooting down an Iranian passenger airliner on July 3, 1988 with 290 people aboard including 66 children, said, “I will never apologize for the United States of America, ever. I don’t care what the facts are.”

Really Norma, this is your Republican Party? If so, then you’re absolutely right, “this country is in trouble,” but it’s due to people who accept this type of arrogant behavior as “presidential.”

Dan Freeman

Clinton