“This is not the time to play the blame game,” I hear a lot of politicians talk about the financial crisis. When they weren’t saying that, they were saying, “This is not the time to point fingers.” OK, fine. When IS the time to play the blame game? When IS it time to point fingers? If not now, when? After they’ve left office? When they’ve safely landed in a $700 billion taxpayer-provided golden parachute? It seems there is only one simple rule to the blame game: Don’t blame anybody.

But when you hear someone say, “This is not time to play the blame game” you can be sure of one thing – that they are the people who are to blame. If they weren’t to blame, wouldn’t they be saying, “Don’t blame me, blame the other guy, point the finger at him.”

I know it rhymes and journalists love rhymes, but when did blame become a game? “Gee, honey, I just took our 401k to Las Vegas and lost it playing Texas Hold ‘Em.”

“How could you?” the wife wails, “What’s the matter with you? That was our future, you’ve thrown it away and it’s all your fault.”