Until September 11,
Oklahoma City was the site of the worst terrorist act in modern
American history. So the disclosure that the FBI some how failed
to pass along documents that should have gone to Timothy McVeigh's
lawyers before his trial, had a special meaning to the editors
of the Daily Oklahoman. While expressing their faith in the personal
integrity of FBI Director Louis Freeh, the editors argued that
the bureau's appearance of bungling had invigorated FBI critics
on and off Capitol Hill. What to do? The editorial cited TRAC
data suggesting that one long-term problem may be the bureau's
failure to concentrate on the matters where it bears a primary
responsibility. "Such an idea," the editors wrote, "is a worthy
one as the Bush administration considers a replacement for Freeh--and
possible reform of this one proud agency". The observation by
the editors seems even more valid after the horror of the attacks
on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
