When I saw the headline this morning, "Obama Pushes Back on GOP Tire Pressure Attack," I realized it wasn't a dream. Barack Obama really did spend ten minutes of national air time yesterday trying to defend his suggestion that keeping tires properly inflated would be a viable alternative to drilling for more domestic oil.

Here's why you should just let it go, Barack:

First, although keeping everyone's tires properly inflated would save fuel, it can never happen in practice. It's not like setting your thermostat to 68 degrees, where you can do it once and leave it there. People would need to be checking their tires all the time. Realistically, many people aren't going to make the commitment, and there's nothing the government can do to make them. Similarly, not everyone is going to get regular oil changes and tune-ups, which would also improve gas mileage.

To understand why the suggestion of keeping tires properly inflated has no place in a serious discussion of energy policy, consider an analogy to food. If consumers are up in arms over rising food prices, it is no answer to point out how leftovers often end up getting tossed away instead of eaten. Sure, my spoiled leftovers represent a potential savings, but it's really none of your goddammed business, Barack. How 'bout you worry about lowering food prices and I'll deal with with what's in my fridge? We're not electing you nanny, you twit.

Obama's persistence in making the case for proper tire inflation is unbecoming for another reason as well: Even he doesn't seriously place that much importance on the idea. It was something he mentioned in passing as a way of putting into perspective the modest amount of oil that new offshore drilling would supposedly yield. It only became a big deal for Obama after the GOP turned it into a joke at his expense. So now he's acting like a petulant teenager, upset because the grownups are laughing at something he said. Now he's given people a reason to wonder if he's too thin-skinned to handle the presidency. Nice going.