Here I sit, dumbfounded, confused and at a loss for a reason.

In my quest to write about the head of the Free World, the Man in the Oval Office, my writing device has been hacked -- the 16th letter is gone.

That is the letter *, that rhymes with B, the second letter.

And writing about the *resident of the United States, Donald J. Trum*, is indeed hard to do with my la*to* on the blink.

*lease try to read through this column. I have been a**roached by many of your readers about my take on the *resident. I have, for weeks, begun a study of what I would say, but alas, the * is gone off my writing device.

Did I get hacked by the Russians?

I don't know.

I did write several *ractice *hrases for this column -- maybe one of them got *urloined by the *russians as they were once called.

But for the life of me, I cannot imagine anyone from St. *etersburg or the *ultrorboro seeing my column in or out of *rint, *rior to its release for these fine weekly news*a*ers.

So let's get to it.

I was once *roud of most any resident of the Oval Office. No more. Not now and maybe not in the foreseeable future.

Yes, I didn't like it election night. I did not imagine in my wildest dreams that we would have all that drama that is going on in the White House with tweets, revisions, secret meetings, golf outings and family dealings that we have seen so far.

Never did I think that a *ress secretary would have to go out to the *odium and a*ologize as much as has been the case with Sean S*icer or now Sarah Huckabee Sanders and whomever may come later on in this administration.

Never did I ex*ect to read a New Yorker story so pull of *iss and vinegar and as *rofane from the White House Communication's Director.

Never did I ex*ect the Trum* family to be such a factor in the daily *ress coverage of the nation's highest elective office.

Never did I ex*ect to see the Attorney General be from Alabama. And never did I ex*ect former U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions to get that office. Now I am wondering if he will be the Attorney General by the time this gets in *rint next week.

*lease tell me we have more im*ortant things to do in this country than make the body count of those who have made the *resident mad and are subject to his *ersistent Twitter rants from the White House, a *alace of *ower.

Never did I think I would see other nations -- just *ick one -- be so disres*ectful to this nation.

Never did I think I would see the status of health care for those who need it the most in *eril.

Never did I think I would see and hear Gov. Asa Hutchinson at loggerheads with U.S. Senators from our own state -- John Boozman and Tom Cotton -- on health *olicy for Arkansans.

It is a *itiful and *er*lexing day when all the TV talking heads, editorials and o*-ed *ieces are writing about s*ecial counsels and scandals, lies, dece*tions and *arty in-fighting in Washington, D.C., in our *oliticial *arties.

I still have *ride in America.

I still think we have much to offer the rest of the world.

I still think Americans are caring, giving and ready to set an exam*le day in and day out for the rest of the world to watch and observe.

I still think we should take care of our own *eo*le and make sure that the most vulnerable among us -- be they *oor, downtrodden or sick and infirmed -- get the best care from our *owerful *olitical *arties.

America is great.

Has been and will continue to be... even without the 16th letter to *roclaim it.

MAYLON RICE IS A FORMER JOURNALIST WHO WORKED FOR SEVERAL NORTHWEST ARKANSAS PUBLICATIONS. HE CAN BE REACHED VIA EMAIL AT [email protected]. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.