EDITORIAL : THE SPYING GAME.

THE report on Chinese spying released Tuesday by a bipartisan congressional panel is a shocking reminder of how vulnerable the U.S. security systems are.

It is sobering news that the Chinese have stolen secret information about every nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal, and the conclusion that the transmission of technology continues ``to this very day'' is downright embarrassing.

The theft damages our nation's defense systems and our nation's credibility. It gives our potential enemies not only the means to attack but the technology to build systems capable of destroying our weapons.

According to the report, the Chinese now possess U.S. technology used in missiles, submarines and warplanes, such as the Air Force F-15, F-16 and F-117 fighters.

While the panel's report scolds the Clinton administration for its laggard response in closing off all potential avenues for espionage, it ought to realize this is an institutional problem that began more than two decades ago and continued through the Carter, Reagan and Bush administrations, while security resources were focused on the Soviet Union.

President Clinton must immediately begin implementing strict security measures the congressional committee called for to prevent future breeches.

Though the president wants to continue to normalize trade relations with China, the administration will surely face fierce opposition on Capitol Hill. It may be wise to step back and see what the fallout is from the report and the long-awaited FBI investigation of espionage at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Still, this is not the time to point fingers, since the entire system has failed to do its job of protecting the national security. Republicans want the resignations of Attorney General Janet Reno and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, but they do not want to accept responsibility for their own inaction on the situation, which has been known to them since 1996 and should have been known to Republican administrations years earlier.

What's nerve-racking is how wide the spy ring could be. Who has access to the Chinese information? If the Chinese have the information, how much has Saddam Hussein been able to obtain? What about Slobodan Milosevic? Or Moammar Gadhafi?

Given the billions that have been spent on security and counterespionage, there is enough blame and shame for everyone involved.