Neider says the delays older adults exhibited in starting to cross the street are probably due to "cognitive interference" rather than excessivecaution.
For this act of excessivecaution, Ms Rice deserves little blame: as special adviser on Soviet affairs, she had a mid-level position, concerned mainly with staff work.
If the head of government underreacts when the country is threatened, history is not likely to excuse him on the grounds that his excessivecaution enjoyed bipartisan support.