Is it correct to correct?

At what point, when overhearing a conversation, is it right to butt in and correct someone? I suppose one can argue that when someone's life is at stake or something dangerous can happen, it's important enough to step in. For instance if I overhear someone saying, "Sure, you can wash those Valiums down with a bottle of whiskey. That's no problem," then it's time to step in. Or if they say "Heating those leftovers wrapped in foil in the microwave is the best way to prepare lunch," perhaps I should say something. (I wish someone had warned me about that earlier.)

But I was faced with a somewhat tougher conundrum today while in the waiting room of the doctor's office.

Someone decides to talk politics with the patient-in-waiting next to them. I have no idea what prompted the conversation between the two strangers but I listened across the room as the chat wore on. The woman, elderly and impatient, mentioned how she wished that Bill Clinton could be president again. The man she was talking to assured her it was possible. "You just have to have a certain amount of time in between," he said. "He's been out eight years so he can run again."

My political science major ears were crippled in pain. Haven't you heard of the 22nd amendment? What makes matters worse is that apparently this gentleman had heard of it. He knew enough to say that after FDR's presidency, the law was changed to say that a president couldn't serve more than two terms. And still, he's envisioning Bill Clinton as our next president.

That is just wrong on so many levels. But I sat quietly, head buried in People magazine, and simply shook my head. For all anyone knew, I was simply saddened over the Nick and Jessica break-up. But in reality, I'm far more upset at the ignorance.