Bush: 'No doubt' NSA surveillance is legal

AP | January 29 2006

President Bush suggested Thursday he might offer resistance if Congress moves to change the law relating to his controversial program of warrantless surveillance for terrorist threats and said: "There's no doubt in my mind it is legal."

Asked if he would support efforts in Congress to give him express authority to continue the program, Bush cited what he said was the extreme delicacy of the operation.

"But it's important for people to understand that this program is so sensitive and so important that if information gets out to how we run it or how we operate it, it'll help the enemy," he said. "Why tell the enemy what we're doing?" (Watch Bush defend program -- 2:39)

"We'll listen to ideas. But I want to make sure that people understand that if the attempt to write law makes this program -- is likely to expose the nature of the program, I'll resist it," he said.

Bush told a White House news conference that the domestic spying program "is designed to protect civil liberties" and declared that "it's necessary."

Democrats have accused the president of breaking the law in allowing eavesdropping on overseas communications to and from U.S. residents, and some members of his own party have questioned the practice.

It was the president's first full-scale news conference of the new year, and the 10th since he was re-elected in 2004. He previewed his upcoming State of the Union address and fielded questions on former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the stunning victory of the radical group Hamas in Palestinian elections and the administration's cooperation with Congress on its investigation of Hurricane Katrina.

Concerns over Hamas victory
On the Middle East, Bush expressed concern that Palestinian elections had given a majority to the radical party Hamas, which has called for the elimination of Israel, although he noted that democratic elections sometimes produce unwelcome results. (Watch Bush explain how the Palestinian election had positive aspects -- 5:37)

He made it clear that any organization that has an armed wing and which advocates violence against Israel "is a party with which we will not deal."

Bush called the election results a "wake-up call" to the old guard Palestinian leadership, many of whom are holdovers from the days of the late PLO chairman Yasser Arafat.

Abramoff investigation
Questioned about a controversy swirling about disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Bush said he would cooperate with federal prosecutors investigating Abramoff and his alleged influence peddling activities, if necessary. Otherwise, the president said he saw no reason to release pictures that he acknowledged were taken of him and Abramoff.

"There is a serious investigation going on by federal prosecutors -- that's their job," the president said. "If they believe something was done inappropriately in the White House, they'll come and look and they're welcome to do so."

Otherwise, Bush said, "I've had my picture taken with a lot of people. Having my picture taken with someone doesn't mean I'm a friend with them or know them very well."

"I've had my picture taken with you," Bush said to the reporter who asked the question.

State of Union preview
Bush also said that his nominee for Supreme Court, Samuel Alito, deserves to be confirmed in the Senate, where he clearly has the votes but where minority-party Democrats were speaking out against him at length.

"The Senate needs to give him an up or down vote as soon as possible," Bush said in opening remarks that also previewed the themes of his State of the Union address next Tuesday.

Bush shrugged off a recent Pentagon-contracted report which concluded the Army was overextended and the United States cannot sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to break the back of the insurgency there.

The president predicted victory in Iraq and said, "Our commanders will have the troops necessary to do that."

He said the military was focused on transforming itself to ensure the armed forces could meet its goals in the 21st century.

"After five years of war, there is a need to make sure troops are balanced properly, threats are met with capabilities. That's why we're transforming the military," Bush said.

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