OUT OF THE LINE OF FIRE

A federal panel of security experts wants to prevent vehicles from driving in front of the White House by converting a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue into a pedestrian mall, CNN reported today. The six-member board, seeking toprotect the President from the threat of car bombs, has put together a classified list of recommendations that are being circulated among government agencies and members of Congress, CNN said. The panel was established by ex-Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen after an airplane crashed into the White House last September. In October, 26-year-old Francisco Martin Duran shot 27 rounds of ammunition across the north side of the building from the Pennsylvania Avenue sidewalk. Last week , he was convicted of attempting to assassinate the President.