Instead of playing around with a “Sesame Street” character, isn’t it time that the president focused on what is important, like the 12.1 million people who are unemployed (not including those who have given up looking for work), the volatile situation in the Middle East and our lax security and intelligence?

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.