In March 2008, upon returning from a family trip to Washington, D.C., I wrote the following in this space:

For all the talk about post-9/11 security, Washington is surprisingly unprotected. There are metal detectors and armed guards at places like the Capitol and the White House, of course, and numerous government buildings now are surrounded by concrete barriers (so that vehicles can’t get close enough to do any damage), but there is no visible security at the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, in the National Cathedral or anywhere in the subway system, to name just a few vulnerable spots.

Yesterday, a man opened fire at the entrance to the Metro subway station at the Pentagon, wounding, ironically, two police officers.

That there were at least a couple of officers in the area is encouraging. (I never saw a cop at any Metro station during our week in D.C.) But that an unstable man was able to get a loaded gun onto the grounds of the Pentagon - where the Metro station in yesterday's incident is located - and start shooting at will is unforgivable.