Do we need a new Homeland Intelligence Agency? Is intelligence gathering the wrong job for a law enforcement agency? Senator John Edwards of North Carolina thinks so.

The agency now at the center of our domestic intelligence efforts is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI's mistakes before Sept. 11 are well-known. Yet only recently, the bureau's number two official said he was "amazed and astounded" by its continued sluggishness in fighting terror. The homeland security bill, which I supported, is a good step forward in many areas, but it leaves the FBI virtually untouched....

When asked about the terrorist threat, senior FBI officials won't tell you where the terrorists are and what they are planning. Instead, they'll tell you how many cases they have open and how many wiretaps they are running. The answer proves they don't get the intelligence question.

The central goal of a new homeland intelligence agency should be uncovering terrorist threats before they cause harm. That job will have three basic components: first, to gather information about terrorists, their activities and their plans; second, to analyze data, search for patterns and assess threats; and third, to get that information and analysis to the right people so we can stop terrorists cold.

Because the focus will be intelligence, the new agency's officers don't even need arrest powers. Those responsibilities should remain with law enforcement. Incompatible missions are the reason we have this problem in the first place....

I first proposed a new intelligence agency two months ago. Just last week, the joint congressional inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks urged Congress to consider the idea promptly. The administration, after initially signaling support, has backed off, under bureaucratic pressure from the FBI. That's a huge mistake. At a time when even marginal agencies are shifting into a new department, we need the courage to reform where it's needed the most.

We agree the FBI is not cut out to be an intelligence gathering agency. As to whether we need yet another agency with a "homeland" designation, we're not convinced.