Ten or 20 or 30 inept bombers down the line, someone could get lucky. The hapless Times Square bomber is just another reminder of how fragile our lives are. And how fiercely we reject that knowledge.

New Yorkers who lived through 9/11 tend to feel a special role in the war on terror. We're silent witnesses to the worst that can happen. Unfortunately, the politicians who were there with us won't stop talking.

Once again, the state has no budget. The problem? There's nobody to be afraid of. New York is not a place that operates on rational debate or planning. Power comes from two things: money and fear. Right now we don't have either.

It's always hard to be rejected, but imagine how it'd feel to run for Congress and then have your party spurn you for Vito Fossella.

Only in America can the son of a three-term governor who is himself serving as state attorney general portray himself as an outsider in state government.