Considering that individual private contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq outnumber U.S. troops in those countries, Congress has every right to know what the privateers are up to and to set rules for what they can do. At present, there are glaring gaps in both areas.

Take, for example, a troubling aspect of private contracting that has just come to light. It involves secret programs for assisting intelligence agents in war zones. According to a Wall Street Journal report, "these contractors have carried out some of the government's most sensitive work -- conducting interrogations, manning secret prisons and guarding spy-agency personnel."

A provision passed by the U.S. House last week sensibly attempts to ban or limit some of those practices. The measure, from U.S. Reps. David Price of Chapel Hill and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, would prohibit contractors for the intelligence community from interrogating detainees. And it calls for an official report on the use of contractors by intelligence agencies.

The bill that Price's provision is part of is headed to the Senate, but the White House isn't waiting for final action. Citing the contractor-interrogation provision, it says President Bush will veto the larger intelligence bill if the final version includes the interrogation provision. There should be no prohibition on private contractors participating in lawful interrogations conducted by the CIA, the White House says.

That's consistent with the Bush administration's support for its practice of outsourcing much of the war-related effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, where contractors currently outnumber U.S. troops 202,000 to 186,000.

Most of those employees, to be sure, work in troop-support activities such as logistics and reconstruction. But many do not -- a fact North Carolinians know well because of controversial, sometimes deadly actions by employees of Blackwater Worldwide, based in Moyock, which provides armed security to diplomats in Iraq. It's likely that the presence of Blackwater originally piqued Price's interest in the contractor issue (the company says it is not involved in interrogations).

Now the 10-term Democrat is calling for a hard look at "the contracting of sensitive intelligence operations to private companies" to make sure that inherently governmental activities aren't being outsourced to unaccountable "corporate, for-profit contractors."

With about half of the intelligence budget contracted out, and with little known about where the money goes or whether outsourcing actually aids taxpayers, the House intelligence bill calls for a detailed report from the administration. It's about time. As Price says, contractors may have a place in intelligence activities, but their role must "carefully considered, thoroughly managed, and strenuously overseen."

Speaking of oversight -- Price is also calling for an investigation by Congress of Aero Contractors of Johnston County. This private air service with close links to the CIA reportedly has transported detainees to foreign countries that are known to use torture.

Price says he wants to know the facts about Aero, with a view to shutting down what are called "extraordinary renditions." If the facts support the allegations -- and there seems little doubt that abuses have occurred -- that is the least Congress could do.