AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- In his sharpest criticism of President Clinton, Texas Gov. George W. Bush said Tuesday that the White House failed to take reports of Chinese espionage seriously and was slow to react. ``I'd do something about it immediately,'' he pledged. Bush, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, acknowledged that the problem has been going on for years, including the 12 years when his father was vice president and president. But he said he doesn't believe that gives Clinton an excuse. ``It's unfortunate that China has been stealing secrets during Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. But there is only one administration that has been given the news; only one administration knew -- and that's the Clinton administration. The interesting question is when did they know?'' A congressional panel chaired by Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., reported Tuesday that China had stolen classified information about every currently deployed nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal and said it is ``exceptionally likely'' that Chinese spying continues to this day. Republican presidential campaigns were quick to respond. Gary Bauer, who has made China policy a cornerstone of his campaign, accused the administration of failing in ``its most basic duty to protect our nation.'' ``It is time for new American leadership; it is time for a new foreign policy, and it is time for new congressional hearings to investigate who is directly responsible -- politically and commercially -- for endangering America's national security,'' he said in a statement. Steve Forbes said the administration had demonstrated ``incompetence, ineptitude and insincerity on a scale never before witnessed in the history of U.S. defense,'' making a point to target not just Clinton but also Vice President Al Gore, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Elizabeth Dole also directed her criticism at the ``Clinton-Gore administration.'' ``Previous administrations must share in the blame,'' she said, ``but this administration knew more and still chose note to take action.'' Long critical of Clinton's China policy, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said, ``I find it troubling that too little action was taken too late by this administration, resulting in the fact that the Chinese may have been able to build nuclear weapons comparable to ours.'' He said, ``Questions will be asked why, in the face of overwhelming evidence that these operations were taking place, didn't the Justice Department and this administration do more to stop it. The public deserves a swift and honest response.'' Lamar Alexander has called for an independent, blue-ribbon commission to ``get to the bottom of the current China mess.'' And Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire is urging creation of a Senate Select Committee to investigate Chinese espionage. ``We will get to the bottom of this,'' he said. ``Nobody in this Senate worth his or her salt should have any objection to that.'' Bush picked up the endorsement of Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., on Tuesday. The governor has stayed in Texas this spring, saying he is focused more on the final days of the state legislature than on presidential politics. But he said the revelations about Chinese spying were so severe, he felt the need to speak up. ``This Cox report was so serious in my judgment, and in that I'm going to be exploring (a presidential race), I thought it was important to make a clear statement of my views,'' the governor said. He called for a congressional investigation into ``what went wrong and why.'' ``Presented with detailed information about China's espionage, the administration apparently did not take it seriously, did not react promptly and is still trying to minimize the scope and extent of the damage done.'' ``I think the balance of power is going to shift as a result of this,'' Bush said. ``I think it's going to accelerate China's emergence as a nuclear power. And the next president and presidents after that are going to have to deal with that.'' He noted that there are reports that the national security adviser knew bout the allegations as early as 1996. ``Should I run and should be the president, I can assure you that if my national security adviser knew that secrets were being stolen, I'd want to know about it and I'd do something about it immediately.'' Bush, who is scheduled to travel to Iowa, New Hampshire and other key presidential primary states next month, said Clinton's policy toward the world's most populous country has been off base. Nevertheless, Bush said he still believes China and the United States should be trading partners and that China should be admitted to the World Trade Organization. Forbes called for a halt to any U.S. efforts on behalf of China with the WTO. On another trade issue, Bauer asked Republicans in Congress to vote against most favored nation status for China. -=-=- 