I guess it’s understandable that our president is spending so much time and money to vilify his opponent and keep our minds on Vietnam. He needs to keep our minds off of his record.

After all, our president can’t run on his record with the economy. Not with a larger population and a million fewer jobs than when he started. Not with blowing a budget surplus even before the war with Iraq. He can’t run on his environmental record. Not after withdrawing from the Kyoto protocol and rolling back most of the environmental gains from the previous eight years.

He can’t run on how he helped control soaring health care costs. Not after deceiving congress with the cost of his Medicare prescription drug bill.

He can’t even run on the glorious victories he gave us in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not with an insurgency that is spiraling out of control and major areas of both countries too dangerous for our troops to go into.

All he can say is what a great commander he is and to stay with him because he knows the best course to take. Kind of like the captain of the Titanic. He knew the best course to take too.

John West, Lewiston