UPI
Saturday, November 25, 2006

A covert U.S. wiretapping program continues unabated nearly a year after President Bush admitted its existence, it was reported Saturday.

Neither Congress nor the courts have taken definitive action against the National Security Agency program, The New York Times reported.

While Democrats have vowed to press for more facts about the operation, they are of mixed minds about additional steps, the newspaper said.

Some favor an aggressive strategy that would brand the program illegal and move to ban it. Others, more cautious, emphasize the rule of law but do not want to deprive the government of important anti-terrorism tools.

Incoming House speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., favors an investigation to determine how the security agency's program actually operates and what its legal framework is under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, an aide said.

Administration officials say they are concerned they might be forced to shut down a program they deem vital to national security.