From the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press — Originally published Tuesday, July 21

It’s been known for several years that the Bush administration willfully ignored and broke laws requiring oversight from Congressional leaders … What’s now becoming clear … is that the justification for such programs … often was trumped up, while the programs’ usefulness was misrepresented and minimal, at best.

The report earlier this month by the inspectors general of five key federal agencies — the CIA, National Security Agency, Justice Department, Defense Department and the Office of National Intelligence … found … that the approximately 200 key federal and private officials questioned about the broad-scale warrantless wiretapping of Americans’ phone and e-mail communications “had difficulty citing specific instances” in which the information gained actually proved valuable, much less saved American lives.

That particular finding contradicted the defense offered by President Bush and Vice President Cheney when the illegal wiretapping was exposed. …

Though Republicans hounded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.] earlier this summer when she claimed that the CIA had often failed to provide legally mandated briefings to the … the Democratic and Republican leaders of both chambers of Congress and the leaders of their intelligence committees, it now seems undeniable that her claim has merit. That is broadly troubling. If Congress’ oversight is not observed, a rogue White House … could trample the law and evade and erode the boundaries that keep the nation’s government accountable and on track.

That’s reason enough for Congress to pressure its own reluctant members, and the Obama administration, to investigate the Bush administration’s suspected abuses of intelligence powers and legal guidelines.