Bush acknowledges secret order for domestic spying

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President George W. Bush on Saturday
acknowledged he signed a secret order after the September 11,
2001, attacks to allow the surveillance of people in the United
States.

In a rare live radio address, Bush defended the practice as
a “vital tool” in defending the United States against another
such attack.

The presidential order was first reported in The New York
Times on Friday. The report said the order allowed the National
Security Agency to track international telephone calls and
e-mails of hundreds of people without the court approval
normally required for domestic spying.

The report immediately prompted concerns among both
Democrats and Republican in Congress and the Bush
administration initially declined to confirm it.

In the radio address, Bush called for renewal of the USA
Patriot Act, an anti-terror measure stalled in Congress.

Some opponents of the renewal have cited the report as
adding to their concerns about the need to insure that
Americans’ civil liberties are protected.

Bush said his order was constitutional and has been
carefully reviewed by legal authorities. He also criticized the
leak of the information to the media.

“In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on our
nation, I authorized the National Security Agency, consistent
with U.S. law and the Constitution, to intercept the
international communications of people with known links to al
Qaeda and related terrorist organizations,” he said.

“This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our
national security,” Bush said.