Although economic difficulties and political cheap shots have taken center stage in the presidential and congressional races, the past week brought unsettling reminders of the national security challenges that await November's winners.

The Partnership for a Secure America, a bipartisan group, warned in a report last week that the U.S. remains "dangerously vulnerable" to chemical, biological and nuclear attacks. And the possibility of a major terrorist attack "is still very real," the organization says.

The group is headed by former Rep. Lee Hamilton, a respected foreign policy expert.

Congressional Democrats also released a report last week complaining that the Bush administration had "not delivered on myriad critical homeland and national security mandates."

At a hearing last week in New York, officials called for greater federal support for efforts to detect and head off potentially devastating attacks.

The hearings were held by a panel that is to make recommendations to Congress in November on preventing terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction.

Lawmakers created the commission, and considering its recommendations should be placed high on the priority list for the new Congress next year.

Candidates for federal office should explain to voters what they think needs to be done in areas such as border security, protection of chemical and nuclear plants, and diplomacy aimed at nuclear non-proliferation. International cooperation against terrorist groups remains critical as well.

How those who head to Washington next January handle such issues will matter to the country long after everyone has forgotten the lipstick-on-a-pig flap.