Boston Globe, Wednesday April 21 1993  col. 4  "Bodies found in ruins as FBI defends raid on cult ranch" col. 5 "Clinton blames Koresh, orders probe of siege" col. 2 "The children: panws in a horrifying game"  pg. 18, col. 1, Editorial page   	"Judgment at Waco"  	Now the scientific and political scrutiny of the horror show in Waco begins, though nothing can undo the tragedy that might have been prevented  there. 	Forensic experts will study the rubble and ashes of the Branch Davidian compound, where at least 85 people, including 24 children, perished in smoke and fire caused by theapocalyptic visions of a manipulative madman AND A STUNNING LAPSE IN JUDGMENT BY FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.    [emphasis added by me] 	Investigators will re-create conditions at the compound and identify accelerants and other fac- tors fueling the inferno.  That is their strong suit. 	But the public must question why agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation lacked the oper- ational skill and teh behavioral insight to resolve the 51-day standoff free of flames and fury. 	The loss of life most clearly reflects the demen- tia of cult leader David Koresh, whose personal delusiosn are now seared on the public conscious- ness.  His assembly of Davidians had stockpiles of arms--and had used them.  LIttle in the way of rationality could be expected from Koresh, a self- confsesed "sinner without equal." 	What continues to mystify are th eactions of federal agents, who bungled the case from the start.  The misadventure began on Feb. 28 when 100 agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, To- bacco and Firearms storemd the compound, intent on seizing Koresh and a cache of automatic weap- ons.  Four agents and an estimated  six cult mem- bers died inteh ensuing gun battle.  Earlier oppor-tunities to isolate and arrest Koresh outside the complex had not been adequately explored. 	Authorities prepared a siege and resolved that those deaths would be the last.  Fifty-one days into  the siege there was no public outcry to storm the compound. 	It had been correctly perceived that the chil- dren inside "Rancho Apocalypse" were essentially  hostages.  With their lives at stake, there was no reason for the government to be impatient.  The government's superior firepower, control of water and utilities and freedom of movement created the conditions for a belated but bloodless resolution. 	Neither Attorney General Janet Reno nor the FBI has provided a sigle compelling reason for abandondoning the course of patience. 	If intelligence was accurate and Koresh was growing increasingly violent and bizarre, it is diffi- cult to see how a tear-gas attack launched by an M-60 combat vehicle would clear his mind.  If re- ports of escalating child abuse were accurate, they would have to be weighted against the potential for eve ngreated hamr.   etc etc tec.... [paragraphs, 2.5 paragraphs deleted]  But some of the responsibility rests with Clinton, and inexperienced president who did not pay enough attention to the life-and -death decisions being made on WAco. 	If Reno is to be faulted for anything, ti would be for her overreliance on the judgment of law en- forcement officers--a common problem among prosecutors. 	Full investigations into th eWaco tragedy must be conducted by both the executive and legislative branches.  The first step is to verify how the blaze  started.  Though apportioning blame will play a  role, it is of greater importnace to find strategies to elude the fire next time.