The holiday season is the time of the year to give thanks and count our blessings.

In response to Kevin Shanley’s depressing list of critiques of our president (“No love for Obama,” Nov. 25 Acorn ), I’d like to turn each of his dismal points into an affirmative positive for which we can instead be grateful for President Obama.

•Shows strength and humility in acknowledging past wrongdoing.

•Has the courage to take responsibility for mistakes made.

•Impresses the world in not being the stereotypical “Ugly American” and instead “doing as the Romans do when in Rome,” and having the courtesy to display respect and humility in honoring others’ cultures.

•Is open and receptive as commander in chief, instead of arrogant and unilateral.

•Has not ignored intelligence, like our last administration, which may have allowed 9/11 to occur.

•Honors human rights and shows wisdom and intelligence in respecting the tenets of the Geneva Convention.

•Is able to display intellectual stamina by dialoguing with those who aren’t currently our allies.

•Has projected a global image of an America that’s back in touch with the international community, once again respected and inspiring to the world.

It’s quite sad that the pundits on the Fox Opinion Channel often call themselves “realists” to justify their pessimism.

However, both physically and mentally, it’s much healthier to approach “realism” with a “the glass is half-full” attitude.

Ultimately, the choice is ours. Happy holidays to family, friends and foes alike.
Tina Aschenbrenner
Thousand Oaks