At least Nero fiddled, rather than debating what tune to play

Ideas | David Friedman | The Real News

[The debt limit debate] is an entertaining example of the game of Chicken as played by politicians but of limited importance otherwise, since both sides are focused not on how to deal with the long term debt problem but on the terms on which they will agree to postpone dealing with it.

This. This is it. This is exactly why I have felt disillusioned with the whole kabuki summed up in less than a sentence.

Send in the clowns.