The panel may not have declared the war on terrorism over. But the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications did make a compelling case for considering its costs and benefits:

„Because we were acting in a moment of crisis [after Sept. 11, 2001], there was always the risk that the new rules — and the new authorities granted to the intelligence community — might have gone too far.

It is now time to step back and take stock … We conclude that some of the authorities that were expanded or created in the aftermath of Sept. 11 unduly sacrifice fundamental interests in individual liberty, personal privacy and democratic governance.“