Passport fiasco

American citizens used to be able to travel relatively freely across the nation's northern and southern borders. No papers necessary, just a quick chat with a federal agent stationed at the port of entry.

For many Americans, this might not have mattered much. But for those living in Detroit, San Diego or other major U.S. cities where incursions into Canada or Mexico are routine, the convenience was important. All that changed with 9/11.

In order to get a better handle on who is entering the country, Congress now demands that Americans returning from trips within the Western Hemisphere have a passport. The rule will be extended next year, when passports will be required of every U.S. citizen driving back across the border from Canada or Mexico.

Lo and behold, the State Department last summer found itself with a huge backlog of passport applications, causing vacation cancellations and other disruptions. And now a new study by the Government Accountability Office has found that the department is ill-equipped to handle another application rush next year.

The department "needs to rethink its entire end-to-end passport issuance process, including each of the entities involved in issuing a passport, and develop a formal strategy for prioritizing and implementing improvements to this process," according to the investigators.

OK. Surely the State Department -- as any bureaucracy -- could improve the efficiency of its operations.

But while members of Congress hammer State Department functionaries for their incompetence, it's worth remembering that the problem is a creation of Congress, itself. Without new mandates imposing burdens on the tens of thousands of Americans who were accustomed to moving freely across the border during their day-to-day activities, the whole passport fiasco would have been avoided.

The State Department needs to shape up -- especially since it knows what's coming next year and has had time to learn from its mistakes. But don't let Congress off the hook. Too often, our elected officials pat themselves on the back for looking like they've done something about something, when in reality they have no idea of the real-world ramifications of their actions.