Hail the fiddle-playing naked emperor

If I didn't know better, I'd think Barack Obama's middle name was Nero.

It isn't, but he's doing a great job of impersonating the Roman emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned."

OK, I know it was a lyre he played but "fiddle" sounds so much better!

It's as though Obama is following Nero's playbook: Party down and have fun while ignoring the local/domestic problems, avoiding the pressures of outsiders and ruling with autocratic aplomb – or maybe I should say, chutzpah.

What do you say about a president and his family who seem to take a vacation every chance they get while simultaneously preaching piously to "the people" that we all have to cut back, to sacrifice?

Just as with Nero, our leaders don't set a good example.

Motown and Super Bowl parties serving delicious but high-calorie eats while the first missus preaches to the little people about avoiding fats and sugars and salt and fried food and non-organic vegetables and carbonated beverages.

After urging "sacrifice," the first missus and the kids are off to a ski vacation and pricey digs with all the necessary security. Despite the exercise on the slopes, there were dining treats, including high-calorie barbecued ribs.

Back home at the White House, Obama was dealing with the dangerous cauldron that the Middle East has become but was interrupted by an urgent call from his daughter's basketball team: They needed a coach for a game that night.

The leader of the free world, our president, knew his priorities – just like Nero – and dropped everything and coached the game as a fill in – even though, his daughter wasn't even there! She was AWOL on the slopes with the first mom.

It smacks of Obama's choices during the BP oil spill. While the little people suffered losses and the company struggled to stem the leak, Obama played golf.

Then, when it was over, it was time for another vacation, in Cape Cod after a short, perfunctory visit to the Gulf Coast.

The Hawaii Christmas vacation was another choice – lots of cost to the taxpayers, lots of entourage, lots of golf, junk food and shave ice.

Just like the little folks who, Obama constantly reminds us, must be willing to make sacrifices – you know, by cutting back on daily expenses and unnecessary activities like vacations and parties.

I won't even detail the trips to England, France and Spain – and we're only two years into his term.

But worse are his choices that put our security at risk. Tunisia exploded and it continues – nary a word from BO. Egypt erupts in violence, and while one side of the "administration mouth" says we won't be involved in telling another country what to do, the other side orders Hosni Mubarak to give up and get out.

When Libyans revolt against Moammar Gaddafi, and he responds by mowing down his own people, Obama is ominously silent. When he finally says "something," he manages not to mention Gaddafi's name but ultimately, he orders him out of office, too.

So much for not getting involved.

Mix in Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iran – and you have the makings of a real crisis for the U.S. and what could turn into a deathwatch for Israel.

Does Obama say anything about the overall threats?

No.

Is he preparing for the real possibility of an oil cutoff from the area? Not that anyone can see.

We still can't drill offshore East, West or in the Gulf, to say nothing about Alaska or the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

I don't know about you, but I'm already paying almost $4 a gallon for gas.

So the U.S. president encourages the chaos in the Middle East because it's people seeking "democracy."

If you believe that, OK.

But bottom line, I'm more interested in our country – our democracy – our republic – and our survival.

And with all that, Obama makes decisions about which laws he'll enforce and which he won't, even though that's unconstitutional. At the same time, he undercuts state efforts to solve its financial budget and pension crises by siding with unions against state governments.

More and more people are asking – whose side is he on?

Remember Emperor Nero? He loved extravagance and the good life. He was a cruel tyrant who tortured Christians. And Rome burned.

With a ruined city and people begging for help, Nero finally had everything and it added up to one word: control.

How does that relate to Obama?

He believes in, supports and encourages more and more government control over the lives of the people.

He believes he knows what's best for everyone, and he clearly likes being in charge.

He does what he wants, when and how he wants – protocol, law, tradition, morality and legality be damned.

It doesn't matter if he knows what he's doing – he has the unquestioning liberal/progressive/Democrat/Marxists followers who enable his every scheme.

He also has the power of the law behind him, despite his clear constitutional violations.

But there's an aspect of Nero's story you might not know. The early view was that the fire was accidental. Later, scholars amended that, believing Nero set the fire to create the chaos that gave him the utter control he wanted.

What about Obama's actions and inactions? Intentional?

People often ask me, "What would Obama do differently if he intended to destroy this country?"

It's a tough question, but remember the Emperor Nero. To get total control, he burned Rome.

Think Nero.

Could it be happening now?

Think Obama.

Think.