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HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section:
National


Dec. 16, 2005, 1:30PM


Bush secretly OK'd eavesdropping
Bush refuses to say if NSA spied on Americans
Some senators outraged over reported eavesdropping
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Bush refused to say whether the National Security
Agency eavesdropped without warrants on people inside the United States
but leaders of Congress condemned the practice today and promised to look
into what the administration has done.
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"There is no doubt that this is inappropriate," said Sen. Arlen Specter,
R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said there would be
hearings early next year and that they would have "a very, very high
priority." He wasn't alone in reacting harshly to the report. Sen. John
McCain, R-Ariz., said the story, first reported in today's New York Times,
was troubling.

Bush said in an interview that "we do not discuss ongoing intelligence
operations to protect the country. And the reason why is that there's an
enemy that lurks, that would like to know exactly what we're trying to do
to stop them.

"I will make this point," Bush said. "That whatever I do to protect the
American people — and I have an obligation to do so — that we will uphold
the law, and decisions made are made understanding we have an obligation
to protect the civil liberties of the American people."

The president spoke in an interview to be aired this evening on "The
Newshour with Jim Lehrer."

Bush played down the importance of the eavesdropping story. "It's not the
main story of the day," Bush told Lehrer. "The main story of the day is
the Iraqi elections" for parliament which took place on Thursday.

- - -

Sorry, bozo, but the lead story of the day is yet another example of the
Bush administration crossing the line to eliminate civil liberties.



Sorry, Bozo, the story leaves out that the spying was also cleared by the
Senate Intelligence committee, with a Sen. Rockefeller involved. So blame
the legislative branch and Democrats also.