Reporter's Note: The president took some of his staff out for lunch following the marathon wrangling over the debt deal. I picked up a sandwich and kept writing…

Dear Mr. President,

I saw the picture of you and your staffers grabbing some lunch at the Good Stuff Eatery and I actually thought, “Now that’s good stuff!”

You may wonder why I thought that, considering how angry the country is at DC these days. I mean, I could hardly blame voters if they were incensed with the image of you enjoying a meal out when things have been going so badly. But I don’t feel that way.

Sometimes a short break is precisely what we need when things are going wrong. Just hanging around the office facing more and more complaints, watching plan after plan burst into flames, is demoralizing and non-productive. Doing so after weeks of struggling with a daunting problem is foolish in the extreme. Tired people produce tired work, and that is rarely the solution to anything. It lacks imagination, and frequently runs sorely short on quality. Beating someone who is already beaten is a waste of time. I believe every person, even political types, need rest and encouragement.

Now, Congress taking more than a month off while this FAA mess boils seems excessive…but my point stands: It is good that you gave your team a break. So hand out the Band-Aids. Pass around the aspirin. And once everyone has caught his or her breath, then urge them back to the difficult tasks at hand. And once in a while order pizzas. And chocolate. It helps. And we can use all the help we can get.

Oh, and Happy Birthday!

Regards,

Tom