Bob Gates slips up

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Anyone in the D.C. area yesterday evening can tell you that there was some kind of incredibly slippery, impossible-to-detect robo-ice on the ground — the perfect conditions for  major falls and car accidents. The freezing rain caused so much havoc in neighboring Maryland that a judge allowed the polls for the presidential primary to stay open there until 9:30 p.m., 90 minutes after they were due to close. I saw plenty of people slipping and sliding on my walk home, which made my own fall only slightly less embarrassing.

Even the man in charge of the world’s most powerful military wasn’t immune to the perils of robo-ice. Pentagon chief Bob Gates slipped on the ice outside his D.C. home last night and fractured his right shoulder. He’s apparently back at work, though he’s not attending this morning’s Senate hearing on the mammoth defense budget. He — and his ego — are no doubt feeling a little bruised.