The Republican opponents of the president have criticized his policies and performance in office. That is what political campaigns are about. Does anyone expect the Republicans to praise Obama? They want to defeat him. Those who can't grasp this simple truth apparently have no understanding of how political campaigns work. Both Al Gore (2000) and John Kerry (2004) never stopped condemning President Bush for just about everything he said or did, especially the Iraq invasion, which liberals routinely called illegal. Many wanted the president tried as a 'war criminal'. Internet hate sites sold 'Kill Bush' T-shirts. With the (brief) exception of post 9/11 patriotism the media never came close to supporting Bush and by 2008, his approval numbers were in the mid 30's. During the 2004 presidential campaign I recall John Kerry saying, to much applause from supporters, that the 'W' in George W. Bush stood for 'wrong'. That was annoying to Republicans but hardly a cardinal sin and basically, what politicians do in campaigns. Anyone that thinks the current GOP presidential aspirants are somehow engaging in unacceptable behavior because they criticize the president is very naive.
