Fiddling About

Commodus: Have I missed it? Have I missed the battle?
Marcus Aurelius: You have missed the war.
--Gladiator

Heads of state often say foolish things and the president's annual State of the Union address is a veritable launching platform of foolery. Nested in the silliness of President Obama's most recent address were comments about the strength of the economy and criticism of those who fail to admit that the economy is booming.

It does not take an economics PhD to argue otherwise. As a wise sage once told me, "If you have eyes, see. If you have ears, listen."

Fiddling while Rome burns is what heads of state tend to do.