My operating assumption, expressed in this column, has been that the shoot-downs subsequent to the Chinese spy balloon were ridiculous attempts to make up for the embarrassment of the handling of the initial balloon. And that’s where the evidence is pointing: 1) We reportedly were tracking the spy balloon as soon as it took off from China; and 2) the White House thinks the objects it has blown to smithereens since were “benign.” This is typical Washington — the under-reaction is always followed by the over-reaction.