Quit While You're Merely Losing

...instead of waiting until you're completely embarrassed.

So Comedy Central funnyman Jon Stewart makes fun of CNBC for their slightly egregiously inaccurate economic forecasts. Some of the people on the business network that Stewart singled out failed to see the humor. I get that. Being the butt of a joke usually makes you look like, well, a butt.

And you figure, hey, I have a talk show. I'm fairly fleet-a-tete. Why am I going to let some sawed-off smart aleck get away with that? I'm not!

Let's just say that that idea ranks only slightly lower than the advice to buy Bear Stearns stock. Consider your opponent: An extraordinarily sharp guy with nothing better to do and a team of comedy writers standing by.

I'd equate this contest of wits to the Christians and the lions, except that the Christians didn't have a choice. CNBC asked for this.