In today's American Thinker, Gene Schwimmer's article titled "Don't Sweat the Presidency, Focus on Congress" alarmed me.  I agree with his premise that choosing between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich is difficult because neither of them is a true conservative and both of them have some heavy baggage.  I also agree with Schwimmer's conclusion about Congress:

"Of course, whom we send to Congress always matters, but never has it mattered more than it will in 2012.  In 2013 and going forward, if we are to save this country, it is vital that the next president, especially if President Obama is reelected, face a Congress that will send him only good, conservative legislation and drive a wooden stake into the bad, liberal stuff before it can rise from the coffin."

This is my problem with Schwimmer's argument: if voters, especially conservative voters, take anything for granted during the 2012 presidential election, the United States will have to suffer through another Obama presidency.  That's an outcome that we can't afford.  Donald Trump said that Barack Obama is the worst president in our history.  He was right because Obama has been a catastrophe on all fronts.  From the economy to foreign policy to energy policy to healthcare to you name it, our president has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is inept, and I'm being kind.  As I said, the United States cannot afford four more years of Obama's incompetence, and neither can our allies, particularly Israel.

Barack Obama routinely bypasses Congress to impose his agenda on the nation, and no one in Congress has lifted a finger to stop him.  Obama's use of executive orders and regulatory fiat is rapidly becoming the stuff of legend.  Under his administration, Congress has become essentially useless, and assuming that the next Congress will demonstrate the fortitude that this Congress hasn't been able to muster is fraught with risk.

We should do our utmost to elect solid conservatives to Congress but, and this is a big but, re-electing Barack Obama is inviting catastrophe.  That's why I think it's dangerous to even hint that the person we elect to lead us isn't or shouldn't be our top priority.  Many people voted for Obama in 2008 because they wanted to see a black man elected president, and they thought that as president Obama couldn't do too much damage.  Let's not make the same mistake again.

Neil Snyder is a chaired professor emeritus at the University of Virginia.  His blog, SnyderTalk.com, is posted daily.  His latest book is titled If You Voted for Obama in 2008 to Prove You're Not a Racist, You Need to Vote for Someone Else in 2012 to Prove You're Not an Idiot.