Over the last week, both President Bush and his “brain” Karl Rove have suggested that the presidents’ low poll ratings are a result of the difficulty of the Iraq war.

Neither of them directly say that the American people just are not being patient enough, but the implication is clear that they are doing the right things for us, and we just are an impatient lot.

I think we may be an impatient lot and not just about the war. Perhaps is it not just Iraq that has many Americans in an unforgiving mood about Bush. We know that the first step to self-improvement is an honest identification of the problems we face, so allow me to suggest that the problems with your poll ratings, Mr. President, are a whole lot more than Iraq.

One of the most important roles of the president is to serve, using an old but good term, as leader of the free world. As president of the largest and most prosperous democracy, the American president is always and instantly a world leader simply by virtue of his election to the office.

But with this role comes the responsibility to communicate the virtues and values of democracy, and, I believe, to provide a unifying sense to the world community about the values that are common to all free people.

In this role, our president has failed. You may recall in the aftermath of 9/11 the world stood with us. We have squandered that support since then. We have lost the high esteem of other nations. We

no longer speak for the free world, Mr. President.

Domestically, we have similarly seen the American president as one who unifies us and sets great goals and high standards for the accomplishment of those goals. We look to our president to elevate us, to call us to national unity through good goals. Again, Mr. President, you have failed us in these ways. As communicator-in-chief, you must bring us together, not pull us apart.

Instead of calling us to the optimism of the greatest democracy ever, you have lowered our expectations:

On global warming, states and companies move to act, while nationally we do nothing and say less. We have no program, no plan Mr. President.

On Social Security, instead of assuring us it will protect us, you tell us it will fail.

Our pensions are failing, even though we have paid into them for lifetimes, while

the companies we trusted choose bankruptcy for the sole reason of dumping the under-funded pensions, leaving us insecure rather than safe.

NASA, once the American dream machine, now is underfunded and uncertain it can accomplish much.

Gas prices rise and you remain silent. We look to you for help, but you are not there.

We overspend our budgets and mortgage our children’s economic future. Why?

Health care demands a solution to higher and higher prices that appear to be out of control and you offer us no plan at all.

The average American family has seen its real wages go down from tax increases, inflation, small pay increases more than offset by increasing insurance contributions, and higher gas prices. Your great economy is only great for the investor class.

Mr. President, you are America’s communicator in chief, but you are not communicating to us about America’s greatness, about the things we can and will accomplish to build upon our dreams.

Your popularity is gone because your vision is lost. We want our greatness back Mr. President.

Dr. Jim Crawford is a local political enthusiast. He can be reached at drjim893@msn.com.