Ashcroft, FBI running scared

Apart from the surprise of Attorney General John Ashcroft's scrapping 26-year-old restraints on the FBI, what really stunned Washington was the process. The Justice Department gave Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, just two hours notice.

Furthermore, he was notified--not consulted. Whether or not that suggested arrogance by the Bush administration, it surely confirmed ignorance. Sensenbrenner, a conservative Republican from Menomonee Falls, Wis., serving his 24th year in Congress, never will win the Mr. Congeniality award on Capitol Hill, but he is one of the smartest and most effective lawmakers.

He also proudly upholds prerogatives of the House of Representatives and the Judiciary Committee. Less than 24 hours after Ashcroft's announcement, Sensenbrenner said in an interview taped for CNN: ''I believe that the Justice Department has gone too far in changing the domestic spying regulations.''

The botched handling of a very important congressman reveals Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller are running scared. In denial about obvious shortcomings since Sept. 11, they now face unprecedented criticism that hardly anything has really changed in the way the 93-year-old bureau functions.