A Date Night Fit for a King

An actor in the Broadway show seen Saturday night by the Obamas was very excited to have the president in attendance:

"I'm nervous, excited, honored," said Andre Holland, who plays character Jeremy Furlow, before the show. "It's like in Shakespearean times, when the king would come to the show."

Oh, puhleeze!

Despite appearances to the contrary, he ain't the king of America, but unless people start getting a grip on themselves, he will be.

The speculation goes on about the real cost of the Obama's "date night" in New York City. Estimates range from $24,000 -- low-ball that wouldn't even cover the cost of the three or four jets -- to $250,000.

It's bad enough that the White House doesn't see fit to be "transparent" on this. It's public money they're spending, after all.

The real cost is the public perception that these "date night" events are the king's prerogative, just a part of the trappings of office, and all of us little people are supposed to "ooh" and "awe" over the style.

Sorry. A man who bashes the chairmen of the Big 3 automakers (now reduced to the Big 1) because they took corporate jets to Washington, D.C. on official business (a request by Congress to testify) while their companies were losing money ("your budgets are out of whack," he said), has forfeited the right to fly jets to NYC for a date night.

Mr. Obama, your budgets are out of whack.

So are your priorities.