He cannot afford to get tough with Beijing because of what the Chinese know about him. If we treat them right, they'll treat us right, the thinking goes. But China is unlikely to change its view of the West, of capitalism, of democracy, and of free speech simply because we play nice with them. Congressman Cox hints that his bipartisan report will show how many of our top secrets are now in the hands of a major adversary. The administration should not be allowed to escape full accountability and a thorough investigation of what happened on its watch.
Excuses concerning when the security breach started are irrelevant.
This administration has known about it for at least six years and apparently did little or nothing until Mr. Richardson fired the Los Alamos scientist suspected of being a major conduit for U.S. secrets. His explanation for waiting so long lacks credibility and ranks up there with Al Gore's claim to Internet paternity. Let the investigation resume, this time without timetables and stonewalling by the Democrats who risk their own political future if they allow politics to trump national security while the world becomes increasingly dangerous, thanks in large part to what China is doing with American defense secrets they steal and American computers they buy.