Dear President Bush,

I am not one of your vehement detractors. I am not one of your avid supporters. I am not a staunch conservative, and I am not a bleeding-heart liberal. I am a well-educated, pragmatic "middle of the road" American who is too often ignored in today's increasingly polarized politics. I voted for you, and I am disappointed in you. If you are interested in regaining my trust, and with it perhaps the trust of many Americans like me, here are some suggestions:

One of the great American maxims holds that you should "say what you mean and mean what you say." Following this policy would already take you a great deal of the way towards regaining credibility. For example, your 2006 State of the Union address proclaimed some grand ideas on some very critical issues. You told us that "we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world." You are absolutely right, however the problem is, that I don't believe you're actually doing anything substantial to change it.

You could have announced a new "Manhattan project" for the 21st century to develop this critical technology. You could have announced a US equivalent to the Ansari X prize (you know, the one that offered $10m to anybody who could viably launch themselves into space and return -- twice) that would reward private initiative into alternative energy. You could have announced a gradual mandatory increase in the required MPG ratings for all cars sold in the United States. You could have done many things to lead this country, and the world, into greater energy independence but instead only offered that "Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10b to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources." Unfortunately, spending about $2b a year is a drop in the bucket and doesn't amount to any substantial government investment in changing our addiction to oil. If this is all the Federal government is willing to do, then why mention it in your speech at all? This is precisely the problem that I have with your credibility. Words without actions are simply lip service, and paying lip service alone to the great issues of the day can only harm your reputation, not help it.

Remember in 2004 when you announced to the country that you had a "bold vision" that Americans will walk on Mars by 2020? I understand that you were trying to reinvigorate a war weary country in the same way that Kennedy did with his "Man on the moon" speech. The difference is that after proclaiming this grand vision you never followed it up with anything approaching proper resources and basically allowed the whole issue to die. The unfortunate consequence of these sorts of proclamations is that saying them and then doing practically nothing only turns a cynical public against you. It is too easy to think that this was merely a political stunt to divert attention -- albeit briefly -- from Iraq.

Speaking of Iraq... You have clearly staked your presidency on American success in Iraq. Many of your detractors think that you cynically took the country to war over non-existent WMD's, or some misbegotten personal vendetta. I supported you on the war in Iraq because cynical politics aside, the US has a vital interest in Middle East stability, and Iraq is literally the heart of the Middle East. Why not say it like it is? The United States cannot allow petty dictators to blackmail the world with energy, weapons of mass destruction, or terrorism. We couldn't allow Saddam to do it, and we can't allow the Mullahs in Iran to do it either. It is very unfortunate that pan-national bodies that have been set up to promote peace and stability have summarily failed to do so. We can not watch the UN, the EU, or anyone else allow entire regions of the world to slide into anarchy, fundamentalist theocracy, or hotbeds of terrorism. While the world debated endlessly, America acted. Why not say -- and say loudly -- that "America has no interest in empire, religious crusades, or sectarian squabbles. America has an interest in maintaining peace and promoting democracy and liberty as a means towards achieving peace." That is something everyone can understand and get behind. You should challenge the rest of the world and ask "What do you think is more dangerous, a world where America acts, even when it may be unpopular, or a world where America does nothing?" There simply is no other country that can project power the way the US can and, despite much public rhetoric, many in the world know this and thank God (whatever God they believe in) that we do.

True leadership does not require saying the things that pol's (or polls) believe to be expedient at the time. True leadership entails recognizing the tough challenges of the day and making the country understand why they are imperative. Many of today's problems are necessarily larger than any one president and may take generations to truly solve. We Americans tend to have short memories and even shorter attention spans. This is why it's important to set policies that will pass the test of time and lead us in the right direction, regardless of who sits in the oval office. This simply can't be done without credibility. Many past presidents, Wilson, Roosevelt, even Reagan recognized this and our world is better off for it. Say what you mean, and mean what you say and I will begin to believe again.