With millions of TV screens scheduled to go blank in several weeks, many Americans seem to wish that they had an “off” button for the government. The Washington-dictated transition from analog to digital TV signals has been a classic case of bureaucratic bungling, and politicians are about to discover that hell hath no fury like a confused constituent severed from his or her entertainment.

The uproar has reached the ears of President-elect Obama, who has enough on his platter with economic and foreign crises without adding a domestic revolution to the menu. His transition team has recommended delaying the change, planned for years to take effect on Feb. 17. That would be a very good idea.