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| Bush Argues In Favor Of Eavesdropping | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 19 2005, 05:06 PM (79 Views) | |
| abuturab82 | Dec 19 2005, 05:06 PM Post #1 |
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Bush Says Eavesdropping Has `Disrupted the Enemy' (Update3) Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush said he has the constitutional authority to approve eavesdropping on American citizens and foreign nationals in the U.S. to protect Americans from the threat of terrorism. ``To save American lives we must be able to act fast,'' the president said in a news conference at the White House. The surveillance ``has been effective in disrupting the enemy.'' Telephone calls and e-mails have been monitored in about 500 instances since October 2001, according to an administration official, who spoke on the condition on anonymity. Senators from both parties are questioning whether the presidential authorization for surveillance violated the law and say they may hold hearings. The controversy has overshadowed Bush's campaign to revive support for his Iraq war strategy, which he has laid out in five addresses since Nov. 30. It also is feeding congressional opposition to renewal of the USA Patriot Act, a law passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that give law enforcement officials broader authority. Bush called the Patriot Act a crucial tool in the battle against terrorist and he called on the Senate, where renewal of the law has been blocked, to pass it before the act expires at the end of the year. ``Most of the senators now filibustering the Patriot Act actually voted for it in 2001,'' the president said. ``These senators need to explain why they thought the Patriot Act was a vital tool after the Sept. 11 attacks but now think it's no longer necessary.'' Democratic senators, joined by a few Republicans such as John Sununu of New Hampshire, want to modify the law to bolster protections for civil liberties. Iraq On Iraq, Bush repeated his remarks from previous speeches that the U.S. mission in Iraq ``is critical to victory in the global war on terror.'' He also acknowledged that the credibility of U.S. intelligence gathering was damaged by pre- war assessments that Saddam Hussein was trying to stockpile biological and chemical weapons, which later proved to be wrong. ``No question that the intelligence failure on weapons of mass destruction caused all intelligence services to step back and reevaluate,'' Bush said. ``Where it is going to be most difficult to make the cases is in the public arena.'' He again refused to set an ``artificial timetable'' for a U.S. troop withdrawal, saying a pull-out will be determined by the ability of Iraqis to safeguard their own security. No Regret Bush said he has no regrets about authorizing the National Security Agency to monitor telephone conversations and e-mails from within the U.S. and involving people overseas. He said he would continue to do so ``so long as the nation faces the continuing threat of an enemy that wants to kill American citizens.'' The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act sets up a system for judicial approval before such surveillance can be conducted. Bush authorized wiretaps without a warrant. He and Vice President **** Cheney say the eavesdropping is consistent with the law and members of Congress were briefed on it. Bush said he ``absolutely'' has the power to authorize the wiretaps under the Constitution and statutes passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ``This is a different era, a different war,'' Bush said. ``This is where people are changing phone numbers and phone calls and moving quick. It requires quick action.'' `Limited' Scope The eavesdropping is ``limited,'' Bush said, aimed at ``people with known links to al-Qaeda.'' Existence of the program was disclosed last week by the New York Times and the president, after refusing to comment, acknowledged the surveillance in his regular radio address Dec. 15. He called disclosure of eavesdropping ``a shameful act.'' Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, at news conference earlier today, said the electronic surveillance is limited in its application and applies only when ``one party to the communication is outside the U.S.'' The U.S. isn't ``spying on American citizens calling their neighbors,'' he said. ``One party to the communication has to be outside the U.S.,'' Gonzales said. Before interception of communications occurs, Gonzales said, the U.S. also must have ``a reasonable basis to conclude that one party to the communication is a member of al-Qaeda, affiliated with al-Qaeda or member of an organization affiliated with al Qaeda or working in support of al-Qaeda.'' Call for Hearings Senate Democrats called on the leadership of the Republican majority to schedule a congressional review of the wiretapping. The House and Senate intelligence committees ``ought to have vigorous, immediate hearings on this,'' Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said today at the Capitol. Senator Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, said Bush's contention that the statutes passed after Sept. 11 give him authority to approve the eavesdropping is ``one of the weakest legal arguments I've ever heard.'' Republican Senator Arlen Specter, appearing on CNN's ``Late Edition'' yesterday, said the Judiciary Committee he leads may hold hearings on the matter. ``There are limits to what the president can do under the Constitution,'' Specter, of Pennsylvania, said. ``Whether it was legal is a matter that ought to be examined.'' Bush said he understood congressional concerns over civil liberties. ``I share the same concerns,'' he said. At the news conference, Bush recited his accomplishments of the last year, including the successful nomination of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., and his goals for the future, such as pressing for an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. He also cited the ``strong'' U.S. economy that features low inflation, rising job growth and higher consumer confidence. ``We're heading into a new year with an economy that is the envy of the world and we have every reason to be optimistic about our economic future,'' he said. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=100...=top_world_news |
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2:07 PM Jul 11