http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10505574/

Bush says he authorized eavesdropping in U.S.
President lashes out at lawmakers who revealed secret program
NBC VIDEO


· Bush defends spying
Dec. 17: President says he personally approved eavesdropping in U.S. and blasts lawmakers for revealing secret program.
MSNBC

Updated: 6:12 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2005
WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday he personally has authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. more than 30 times since the Sept. 11 attacks and he lashed out at those involved in publicly revealing the program.

"This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security," he said in a radio address delivered live from the White House's Roosevelt Room.

"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 as long as I am president of the United States," Bush said.

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Angry members of Congress have demanded an explanation of the program, first revealed in Friday's New York Times and whether the monitoring by the National Security Agency violates civil liberties.

Program constitutional, Bush says
Bush said the program was narrowly designed and used "consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution." He said it is used only to intercept the international communications of people inside the United States who have been determined to have "a clear link" to al-Qaida or related terrorist organizations.

The program is reviewed every 45 days, using fresh threat assessments, legal reviews by the Justice Department, White House counsel and others, and information from previous activities under the program, the president said.

Without identifying specific lawmakers, Bush said congressional leaders have been briefed more than a dozen times on the program's activities.

The president also said the intelligence officials involved in the monitoring receive extensive training to make sure civil liberties are not violated.

i knew it all along and you all said i was crazy and big brother did not exist. now whos a big brother, well endresult bush says to start wareing anything if oyur a certian way dont do it cuz youll be sent to campscuz he is an ass

1. Reefer, learn to speak clearly.
2. Stalin killed millions by cutting off their food supply...starving them to death. Eaves dropping is nothing like what Stalin did.
3. Do you have links to Al-Queida? If not then why worry?
4. Congressmen tend to have more skeletons than any president and them expressing "outrage" is just them trying to further their agenda.

If you ask me, it really isn't that big of a deal. So someone's doing a little listening while you're telling grandma what you bought at the store today, who gives a shit? Only people with something to hide are getting all antsy about it. It definitely doesn't make him Stalin.

They scream about their privacy but claim they have nothing to hide...well then we'll just print up warrants and when we find something they claim it's unconstitutional and the evidence is thrown out. I prefer this method.

i think its funny how alot of teens and younger adults hate bush just cuz its the kewl thing to do and just because the "started the war". i hate to break it to you but wed be in the same position or worse if sum1 else had been elected last year.

Wait...who was stanlin again?

One point I might add is that he said he was "trying to protect our civil liberties." Invasion of privacy isn't protection! It may be only people of al-queda, but what if some terrorist got a hold of this technology/equiptment? It knid of puts millions of people at that risk.

Um, not quite? What can he do, discover that Wal-Mart is having its Christmas sale today, KILL THE *****ES THEY KNOW THE SECRET WALMART SALE. Doesn't happen like that.

im kinda pissed b/c he did this speech in the roosevelt room, how dare he disgrace one of the greatest presidents this country has ever had. and honestly, who didnt think they were doing it before hand? please the probably take bets on what they will find, someone lost and exposed it out of anger.

One of the reasons he might have done it in that room was because respects Rosevelt? Might wanna think on that one.

Also, Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union around the WWII era. He was a twist son of a *****.

"The death of one person is a tragedy, the death of a million is a statistic" - Joseph Stalin

Bush is crazy in my opinion but not a psycho mass murderer like stalin.

no, i knew why he did it. i think he desecrated one of the most beautiful places in this country

i think that bush is nowhere near stalin but this spying shit is just plain wrong to me. the arguement is absolutely digusting. it paints anyone who speaks out against this eavesdropping as a terrorist and traitor without giving any room for regular people who dont believe that citizens should be spied on

I don't liek Bush as the president much but that's my opinion, to bad che guevara isn't aroudn any more he could change all of america to a True Republic (power to the people). Don't know who Che Guevara is? Well learn about him, best revolutionary ever! But no US has to help kill him in another o****ry god damnit! But yea I disagree with many of Bush's ideas but that's my opinion.

-Chaos

well, i didn't mean to compare everything between Stalin and Bush. Just wanted to say the Stalin did the same thing when he was in power, spyed on phone calls just like Bush did.

Should have thought of that before you put 'Bush = Stalin' as the title. Also, you people are acting like this is just the beginning. He's admitting it was done. Why is it so devious now when you didn't even realize it was happening? Just goes to show how little it really matters.

as said above, bush does not massmurder people
hes not a ****attor
even tho he is a ****
the government and the people and congress would not even think of letting turn the us army on the citzens, but really they gotta have some evidence to alle to spy on poeple if their gunna tap my phonr line and i know it first words outta my mouth "**** bush" and they can't do a thing about that first amendment but if some one is saying were gunna bomb down town and 6PM and ... and so and so etc they have a reason to step in, but not iof im just gunna say well yea for lunch to day i had...
still i hate bush and every thing he is and stands for and does

LEARN SOME GRAMMER I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE HELL YOU JUST SAID; your like that guy from waterboy, its like mumbeling just you cant type

lol are you dumb? u think they dont already have this "technology/equiptment?" guaranteed they have alot more then u realize. how do u know that they arent protecting you. and no doin it doesnt put jack shit at risk. "ooo if the terrorists could listen to our phone calls....omg that would be soooo bad.".....yeah it wouldnt matter at all. do u think the terrorists care? all they care about is killing as many ppl as they can at 1 time. thats it. TERRORIST. TERROR + IST meaning a person whos sole focus is causing terror. im sick of all you guys rippin on bush simply cuz u figure he caused all of this, lmao. sure he has done some things that dont help, but u couldnt do any better. if kerry would have been elected we would be in bad shape right now. he wanted to pull out of iraq and afganistan. u think they are just gonna be happy once we pull out? do u honestly think the only reason that everything is happening because we have troops there? F.U.C.K no. our troops are KEEPING it over there instead of here. if we pull them out they will just come here. every wartime president is hated by the majority of the population, but sadly its almost always due to their NAIVETY. 99% of you that think bush is so bad just do it because every1 else is and u wanna jump on the bandwagon. if u dislike him thats fine but i suggest u find a reason to and read up on some facts b4 u publically display it such as u have here. it simply makes you look like a little 12 year old arguing a p