While the Bush administration has been busy fighting terrorism by spending half a trillion dollars and 3,400 American lives loosing and then trying to keep apart the various confessional, tribal, and ethnic factions in Iraq, the New York Times brings us grim news about a struggle that may have more direct relevance to protecting ourselves against the most pressing threat we’re likely to face in the coming years. Here are the first two paragraphs from the piece:

WASHINGTON, May 7 — Every week, a group of experts from agencies around the government — including the C.I.A., the Pentagon, the F.B.I. and the Energy Department — meet to assess Washington’s progress toward solving a grim problem: if a terrorist set off a nuclear bomb in an American city, could the United States determine who detonated it and who provided the nuclear material?

So far, the answer is maybe.

Not heartening.