Hmm, well all the drivers have that ideal car setup they prefer, if you put Raikkonen in the Brawn he may not necessarily dominate - it may not suit his driving style. (this is also a rather big problem with rating drivers in spec-series, because naturally the cars are going to suit some drivers over others).
I agree with you, BUT more so what I was trying to get across is that Button's driving style is one that lends itself to being especially finicky to chassis set-up and tire efficiency. It was obvious that the car (when set-up perfectly to his liking) works quite well for him (say 95%+ optimal setup) in Qualifying...but when he has issues with the set-up, he's clearly well off pace and often struggles to get into Q1. He isn't able to adapt to uncomfortable handling characteristics as well as say Hamilton, and especially Alonso (watch Alonso's driving style from his Championship days to now...there is a huge difference in his style to maximize the tires potential). And this is exactly why I would rate him a "tier" below the more elite drivers.
IMO, Button's comfort zone isn't nearly as large as some of the others. He's simply fixed in a smooth driving style which can hurt when the front end doesn't work perfectly (on turn in and throughout the corner) to his liking or when the back is overly loose and twitchy. Basically if the car isn't perfectly balanced and maximized in terms of traction, or 95% of the way there, he isn't very impressive in terms of raw pace. In no way does this discount a WDC if he does pull it off this year though đź‘Ť Just pointing out that I personally thinks he's a bit overrated in that regard...nothing wrong with that IMO đź’ˇ
I agree to an extent that he doesn't drive out of his comfort zone, however, to mention Alonso and refer to his consistent and solid performances while criticsing the only driver who has scored in all but 1 race this season baffles me. Button is consistent, perhaps not in qualifying performances but then its the race that counts and I think some overlook the fact that this season has been extremely close with the performance gaps between the cars. The difference between Q3 and Q1 is so small nowadays that little niggly problems in setup do amplify into a difference of being on pole or 10th or lower.
DOMINATING the first half of the season, winning 5 races in a row to what he has achieved in the latter half of the season, thanks to lackluster qualifying results is not as consistent as you write it up to be...at least not comparable to Alonso's performances 
That should be pretty clear I would think 
The Brawn has been one of the most reliable cars of the field, so it is expected for him to at least score a point in each race he finishes đź’ˇ..not much to write home about by scoring a point in each race, in a car that should EASILY still be in the top 3 strongest regardless of the circuit. The Brawn is also a very strong car when loaded with fuel and seems to do exceptionally well in terms of race pace (one of the strongest)...they just struggle with Qualifying set-up as I mentioned...so where's the consistency in that?
Its easy to look at the statistics and say that Button isn't qualifying as well as at the start of the season, but this misses an important factor - at the start of the season Brawn were visibly ahead of the competition. Now that the other teams have caught up, people seem to think that Button isn't trying as hard or something. Why is it unbelievable to think Button is still performing as well but the car just isn't so dominating? Why is it beyond the imagination to think Button is putting in the 0.2s difference to make up for his car's lack of performance but its being outweighed by developments and improvements by other teams?
Never did I question Buttons's motivation in the second half the of the season.. .as I don't see that being an issue, especially at this level of competition. That's all BS created by the media who has absolutely no clue the talent and motivation it takes to get to where all these men are. It's clear the Brawn is still one of the top 3 cars on average (possibly number two on tracks where KER's isn't a blatant advantage), so I don't see much reason for Button to be commonly out qualified by Barichello, while having a rough time making it into Q1...unless he's really not that good...or not as good as the top 3 drivers on the grid.
I think that people aren't happy because its not their favourite driver, or its more easy to criticse him. I personally believe almost all today's drivers in F1 are the best of the best and that there are so many factors which effect race-by-race (or even session-by-session) performance that its difficult to judge each driver in such simple terms as "he doesnt try hard enough". I also doubt putting Alonso, Hamilton, Schumacher, Senna or whoever in the exact same Brawn car in the exact same season with the same circumstances would necessarily bring about better results. There is just too many things to take into account, in this current season and comparing older seasons.
I agree for the most part...but some things are quite clear, like Button's inconsistencies in qualifying 
Take it for what it's worth...nothing more, nothing less 
) and hurt Brawn. I think Hamilton with the KER's will definitely be able to challenge for a podium again or possibly a win depending on what happens to turn 1. RBR tested a new wing on Webber's car during the race at Suzuka (set fastest race lap) so they obviously have some more tricks up their sleeve for this race to absolutely lay the smack down again. Raikkonen in the F60 with the KERS will likely be quite strong again, despite no updates to the package, so I'm sure he'll be looking to leapfrog Brawn in typical fashion...just too bad Massa's not there to help 
I believe this race is really going to bring about some exciting results, especially if Alonso and Kovi can capitalize on their KERS and get around the Brawn cars...it will definitely bring the Championship down to the wire at Abu Dhabi, which is stil quite the unknown...
Should be one hell of a weekend