Dear editor, I’m writing both as a resident of Napa Valley and a retired U.S. foreign service officer who spent 32 years representing our country around the world.

I am also one of several hundred retired American diplomats who have joined together to support the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama.

I am acutely aware that many of the challenges facing our nation are the result of a variety of global forces, and that confronting those challenges can be daunting for any American president. And yes, it would be folly to blame all our problems on the current administration. But President Bush and his team have made so many major mistakes over the past eight years — the “war of choice” in Iraq being the most consequential — that the political war-cry, “It’s time for a change,” has more meaning and urgency than usual.

While no one politician can solve our urgent domestic and foreign policy problems on his or her own, I truly believe that Barack Obama offers our country the promise of a pragmatic, non-ideological, professional and inclusive administration that will begin to tackle the difficult issues at home and abroad and help to restore America’s prestige — in the eyes of both our fellow citizens and the people with whom we share this fragile planet.

Sam Fromowitz / Yountville