The effort to gut U.S. export controls that was detailed on this page three weeks ago has been put on hold, thanks to senators Fred Thompson, Jesse Helms, John Warner, Richard Shelby, Jon Kyl, and Pat Roberts -- chairmen of key national security committees and subcommittees. As currently drafted, S. 1712, a rewrite of the lapsed "Export Administration Act," ends effective controls over the export of potentially dangerous technologies. Nonetheless it had sailed through Phil Gramm's Banking Committee. Efforts by the chairmen to work with Gramm to craft a bill that would have addressed their concerns went nowhere, and on Wednesday of last week, Gramm brought the measure to the floor. At that point, Thompson and the other senators made clear that they would fight the bill. Senate majority leader Trent Lott, worried that the Senate would be tied up by the debate, pulled the bill . . . and, at least for one day in this Senate, trade didn't trump national security.