Are They Up To The Task?

It seems only yesterday Ronald Reagan declared Washington the headquarters of the seven deadly sins (vanity, greed, sloth, avarice...). And when Bill Clinton proclaimed the era of Big Government over, the revolution seemed complete. But on Sept. 11, America fell in love with government all over again. Suddenly politicians looked like dignitaries and the capital was again a place people turned to for guidance and protection.

But like so many love affairs, this one may end in tears. The federal agencies that people are counting on to ensure their safety are struggling to meet a challenge unlike any other in living memory. The FBI was fashioned to fight conventional crime--drug gangs, computer fraud, car theft, the Mob. Now it's asked to fight secret terror cells with international reach. A public health system that was fraying in peacetime must cope with the reality of anthrax and the threat of worse. The Immigration and Naturalization Service, which used to focus on holding back the millions who want to come here to work, now finds its most urgent priority is to hold off the handful who would come here to kill.

After a week of fragmentary and conflicting information about the anthrax outbreaks, it is hard not to wonder if federal officials are responding adequately. What more needs to be done--and does America have the political will to make it happen?