Barack Obama was not my first choice for president in 2008, but he is the only choice in 2012. He has served America well and deserves to be re-elected.

When Obama took office, the situation was desperate. The housing market had collapsed, banks were failing, General Motors and Chrysler were near bankruptcy, we were mired in two major wars, and millions of Americans were without health insurance.

Today, the housing market is improving, banks are sound and our troops are out of Iraq. Additionally, because of loans to General Motors and Chrysler, millions of jobs were saved; and General Motors, not Toyota, is once again No. 1 in the world. In terms of health care, millions of Americans are now able to purchase affordable insurance, and there are safeguards in place to protect senior citizens as well as those with pre-existing conditions.

The Republican presidential candidates criticize Obama daily, calling him a Socialist and painting him as incompetent. If it were up to them, General Motors and Chrysler would not exist today, and we would still be in Iraq. As for health care, only Romney might have accomplished what the president did. After all, Obama's plan is essentially Romney's plan.

Michael J. Nordsten, Richland