Bush Easily Defends NSA Use

President Bush revealed more about his use of NSA investigators during his Saturday radio address -- and it was exactly what I expected to hear: The program is used sparingly, it is reviewed by third parties (Justice and some members of Congress), and it focuses only on international communications coming into to terrorist suspects in the US.

In other words, the President is doing exactly what he ought to be doing in a post-9/11 world: tracking down bad guys and protecting good guys.

But some members of Congress will have none of it. Leading the charge was Russ Feingold (D-WI) fresh off his dubious victory over the Patriot Act:

... Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., said the president's remarks were "breathtaking in how extreme they were."

Feingold said it was "absurd" that Bush said he relied on his inherent power as president to authorize the wiretaps.

"If that's true, he doesn't need the Patriot Act because he can just make it up as he goes along. I tell you, he's President George Bush, not King George Bush. This is not the system of government we have and that we fought for." (source)

For the record, Feingold never fought for this country. For him to call Bush extreme is absurd; he was the one senator out of 100 who refused to vote for the Patriot Act in 2001 -- he's a privacy absurdist. What's hiding in his dark soul he wants no one to see?

Compare Feingold's quote to what Bush said in his radio address:

As the 9/11 Commission pointed out, it was clear that terrorists inside the United States were communicating with terrorists abroad before the September the 11th attacks, and the commission criticized our nation's inability to uncover links between terrorists here at home and terrorists abroad. ...

The authorization I gave the National Security Agency after September the 11th helped address that problem in a way that is fully consistent with my constitutional responsibilities and authorities. The activities I have authorized make it more likely that killers like these 9/11 hijackers will be identified and located in time. And the activities conducted under this authorization have helped detect and prevent possible terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad. ...

I have reauthorized this program more than 30 times since the September the 11th attacks, and I intend to do so for as long as our nation faces a continuing threat from al Qaeda and related groups. ...

This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power under our laws and Constitution to protect them and their civil liberties. And that is exactly what I will continue to do, so long as I'm the President of the United States.

I'm betting in this case, Bush plays better with the American public than the Dems.

There's one more point Bush made this morning:

Yesterday the existence of this secret program was revealed in media reports, after being improperly provided to news organizations. As a result, our enemies have learned information they should not have, and the unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk. Revealing classified information is illegal, alerts our enemies, and endangers our country.

That's a big yellow Post-It note on Justice's assignment board: Prez sez find the leakers and jail them.

Good.