President Bush excoriated House Democrats Wednesday for their “indefensible” decision to block the terrorist surveillance program, with the result that the United States was “more vulnerable to attack.”
Responding to questions from The Examiner in the Oval Office, Bush appeared angry about the Feb. 16 expiration of an intelligence law that allowed the federal government to monitor international phone calls of suspected terrorists.
“America should be able to listen to terrorists’ phone calls coming into the United States,” Bush said. “People still want to attack our country, and we better understand what they’re thinking, what they’re planning and who they’re talking to.
“And yet unfortunately a law passed to give our professionals the tools has expired,” he said. “America will be more vulnerable and that’s inexcusable — and it’s indefensible.”
The Senate passed legislation to renew the law, which would give immunity to telecommunications firms that cooperate with government requests for wiretaps. That provision is missing from a stalled House version of the legislation.
Bush said it was “not fair” for phone companies to face “billions” in lawsuits for helping protect America.
“It’s expired because people want to take class-action lawsuits against private phone carriers,” he said. “Such a policy would make it very difficult to get companies to fully cooperate with us in the future.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Bush can break the deadlock if he agrees to “convert the surveillance requests to compulsory court orders.” The California Democrat lamented “the Republicans’ apparent insistence on turning this into a partisan issue.”
The Examiner also asked Bush why he sanctioned the redrawing of European borders by backing the secession of Kosovo from Serbia.
“No border has been redrawn in that sense,” the president replied. “Kosovo’s borders have been clearly defined. The type of government has changed.”
