The Beltway Boys on Fox News Channel today features an interview with Ambassador L, Paul Bremer, Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism. He says the same thing I wrote earlier, that "the FBI really cannot be an effective domestic intelligence agency"and counter-terrorism." He adds, "In effect, we need a separate independent domestic intellgence agency, much as the British have."

I don't know enough about the British MI5 to know if it is an appropriate model, but it seems that Bremer, whose commission predicted in 2000 that we were in for terrorist attacks and said we were woefully unprepared, is a man who should be listened to. He is most concerned about a coordinated series of suicide bombings in suburban malls. I think that if American Muslims are feeling sorry for themselves now, they had better get busy to head off this kind of thing. Americans have actually been quite restrained in their reaction to Muslims, but they won't be if we start seeing Palestinian type suicide bombings in this country.

Bremer also declines to call for the resignation of Mueller and Tennant. However, he notes that "Congress has been part of the problem" and that they have fallen back into bad habits during the past 6 months of passing legislation without any attention to a coherent strategy. He says they need to cut down the 88 separate committees and subcommittees with jurisdiction over various security agencies.

Why isn't Bremer in charge of a new agency already? Why hasn't the White House invited Coleen Rowley to visit the President? Why hasn't Bernard Lewis received greater attention in the news media? Why isn't Lileks on MSN or the Fox News Channel? Why haven't I been given a nationally syndicated column? (I withdraw the last question. No answers, please.)