We’re pretty sure Texas Rep. Joe Barton is a smart man, if for no other reason than we can’t see the good people of the Lone Star State electing a less-than-able legislator. So it goes without saying that we take great pride in quoting another legendary Tejas politico:

“There’s a saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

Once again, Congress is playing footsie with the wide world of sports; yet, this time, we won’t be fooled. By introducing a bill to strip the BCS Championship Game — college football’s grade finale — of actually referring to its championship as “national,” our elected representatives are making a mockery of their occupations. And while that’s nothing new, it’s a sad day when the men in Washington start taking their cues from ESPN.

The bill, which recently passed through the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, states that until college football creates a “fair and equitable playoff system,” college football can’t say “national championship.”

That’s right, the United States government is attempting to blackmail college athletics, holding two words hostage in the process. Legal experts are currently discussing whether the NCAA could still attempt to circumvent the legislation, potentially by referring to its title game as The-Bowl-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Named (like in Harry Potter) or by simply removing the vowels (like Old Testament Jews).

But that’s not the point. To paraphrase a great sports mind:

We’re sitting here, and we’re supposed to be the most powerful country in the world, and we’re talking about football. I mean listen, we’re sitting here talking about football, not the economy, not the two wars we’re fighting, not unemployment — we’re talking about football. Not the ideas that men and women go out there and die for; we’re talking about football, man. How silly is that?

It’s incredibly silly, and that man should know. After all, he is The Answer. Simply put, Congress has far better things to do than waste everyone’s time trying to change college football’s championship system. Even the NCAA, with its one-and-done basketball problem and its refusal to let college baseball players fully vet their professional options, has much bigger things to deal with right now.

We turned our heads when Congress wanted to play baseball’s big brother and fix the steroid problem. And even though the government has spent more time trying to lock up Barry Bonds than it has trying to find Osama, we’ll give them a free pass — ultimately, who didn’t enjoy hearing Henry Waxman talk about the abscess in The Rocket’s bottom? But this is too much. Figure out the public option. Work on the debt problem. Help open up some entry-level jobs. But leave college football alone.

We won’t get fooled again.