To the Editor:

Dr. Joshua Freedman calls on Democrats to admit that they admire President Bush's "confidence and decisiveness." This requires us to ignore the vast gap of facts and background-delving that the president has either chosen to leapfrog over or has determined is too difficult or too time-consuming or perhaps, in his mind, somewhat irrelevant.

Without deep understanding, "confidence and decisiveness" are nothing more than Republican "team" colors.

When we have a leader who believes that he doesn't need to pay attention to dissenters and protesters and who cloaks meetings in layers of secrecy, it is time for the public to hook up to its own brain imager. It is time to advance from the cheerleader phase and light up not only the cortex but more important, bring light to the realities facing the country.

Leona Mahler

Cedar Grove, N.J., Jan. 20, 2005