Boston paralyzed by a marketing gimmick. Officials fulminate against those responsible. Arrests are made. Young people don't understand what all the fuss is about. The incident has resulted in numerous questions. Did the authorities over-react? Did the marketing people misread the prevailing post-9/11 security atmosphere? Was this just an example of the hyper-sensitivity of Boston officials (as the same marketing gimmick went unnoticed in a number of other cities)? Much hot air will be expelled over the situation in the coming days. I will not be adding to it, as I spent the day safe in the Big Apple, where chaos and gridlock is the norm (such that I hardly noticed that the President was on Wall Street).

Bob Novak writes about GOP pollster Frank Luntz, who is now on the outs with the Republican leadership because he keeps telling them things they don't want to hear. Another very bad sign for 2008.

The Powerline Blog has this post about Washington Post writer William Arkin's recent blog piece about our soldiers. Be sure to read the original post, not just the criticism. I have never liked Arkin (although, to be fair, I have never met him personally). His TV bits always rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps this was true for others, as I haven't seen him do any TV stuff in some time. After reading his blog post, I truly wonder how he can be so ignorant of the mind-set and culture of the military, and yet be considered an expert on military and security affairs.