"Can You Hear Me Now?" -President Blasts Surveillance Outing

President Bush held a news conference at the White House this morning discussing everything from the war in Iraq to the US surveillance outing to the Patriot Act. Here is the full text.  Here are some highlights:

On surveillance program:

-"It was a shameful act for someone to disclose this very important program in a time of war. The fact that we’re discussing this program is helping the enemy."

-"In the late 1990s, our government was following Osama bin Laden because he was using a certain type of telephone. And then the fact that we were following Osama bin Laden because he was using a certain type of telephone made it into the press as the result of a leak. And guess what happened?  Osama bin Laden changed his behavior. He began to change how he communicated."

On Iraq:

-"Victory in Iraq is much larger than a person, a President, or a political party."

On Cutting and Running:

-"It’s a wrong strategy. (First), it would dishearten the Iraqis. The Iraqis are making a great — showing great courage to setting up a democracy. And a democracy in Iraq is vital in the long run to defeating terrorism. And the reason why is, is because democracy is hopeful and optimistic.

"Secondly, it sends the wrong signal to our troops. We’ve got young men and women over their sacrificing. And all of a sudden, because of politics or some focus group or some poll, they stand up and say, we’re out of there. I can’t think of anything more dispiriting to a kid risking his or her life than to see decisions made based upon politics.

"Thirdly, it sends the wrong signal to the enemy. It just says, wait them out; they’re soft, they don’t have the courage to complete the mission — all we’ve got to do is continue to kill and get these images on the TV screens, and the Americans will leave. And all that will do is embolden these people. I hear people say, because we took action in Iraq, we stirred them up, they’re dangerous. No, they were dangerous before we went into Iraq.  And they want to hit us again."

On the Patriot Act:

-"It is inexcusable for the United States Senate to let this Patriot Act expire.  There’s an interesting debate in Washington that says they didn’t connect the dots prior to September the 11th — ‘they’ being not only my administration, but previous administrations.  You might remember, if you take a step back, people were pretty adamant about hauling people up to testify, and wondering how come the dots weren’t connected.

"Well, the Patriot Act helps us connect the dots. And now the United States Senate is going to let this bill expire.   And I want senators from New York or Los Angeles or Las Vegas to go home and explain why these cities are safer. It is inexcusable to say, on the one hand, connect the dots, and not give us a chance to do so."

-"It is inexcusable to say to the American people, we’re going to be tough on terror, but take away the very tools necessary to help fight these people. And by the way, the tools exist still to fight medical fraud, in some cases, or other — drug dealers. But with the expiration of the Patriot Act, it prevents us from using them to fight the terrorists.  Now, that is just unbelievable."

(Watch Video HERE)

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Comments

[Timmer ~ Righting America]

AMY -

Great job! I like that Bush came out swinging on this nonsense, which smells of a big RAT (well, TWO rats - New York Times and whoever leaked this highly classified information).

Quoting myself here:

Wasn't it the NYT (and other liberal media) who cried foul over the "outing of covert CIA operative" Valerie Plame? Where is their outrage over this leak? The Able Danger cover-up?

Following the 9-11 Commission Report, wasn't it the NYT (and other liberal media) who accused President Bush of not doing enough to protect us? And now they are ANGRY because he is protecting us TOO MUCH!?

As the President said in his radio address, and again today during his candid press conference, his job is to protect us to his best ability and within the bounds of law. It would seem to me that he is doing just that.

The job of the New York Times, and other newspapers, is supposed to be bringing new information to the masses - hence the word NEWS. And there is nothing new about this year old story being used as a political grenade - that may in fact ultimately harm those who pay to read it.

[Amy Proctor]

Timmer, I saw your article on your blog and was going to link to it as well. Good stuff, bro.

Not only "where is the outrage over this leak", but where was the outrage over the leak about the CIA prisons?

I just visited Jose's site and it seems the Dems truly are making progress. There are uninformed people all over the world who buy this garbage without having to research it. After looking at Jose's site, I realized that the Democratic rhetoric TRULY is aiding and abetting the enemy. So sad.

I hope some people go to jail for this. I hope someone at the Times goes to jail. This is serious stuff.

[Cathy]

I continue to be very proud of the President. Not to say he hasn't done a few disappointing things, but overall, he's done a fabulous job.

I'm so glad he was forthright enough to step up to the plate and tell these people what needed to be said.

[Amy Proctor]

Food for thought about past Presidents using executive privilege to "spy".

http://www.civilwarhome.com/vallandighambio.htm

Abraham Lincoln, like George W. Bush, was accused of spying and illegally using the Constitution in the Civil War. He said, "The Constitution is not a suicide pact." By this he meant, in a time of war in particular, that we must not extend constitutional rights to enemy combatants and domestic traitors. One such conspiracy theorist during the Civil War was former Ohio congressman, a man by the name of Clement Vallandigham called the prosecution of the Civil War wicked and cruel and he suggested that Lincoln and the Republican Party were using the Civil War to establish a dictatorship. Troops of the 115th Ohio Volunteer Infantry seized Clement Vallandigham from his home in Dayton. A military commission tried him for treasonable utterances and turned him over to the confederate army. Jefferson Davis didn't want Vallandigham any more than Lincoln did and eventually shipped him off to Canada from where he managed to slip back into the United States. Abraham Lincoln lamented, "Must I shoot a simple-minded soldier boy who deserts while I must not touch a hair of a wily agitator who induces him to desert?"

Franklin D. Roosevelt approved the rounding up 110,000 Japanese and moved them from their homes and businesses to internment camps.
Robert F. Kennedy authorized the wiretapping of Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Amy Proctor]

PS...

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/12/18/221452.shtml

"Clinton NSA Eavesdropped on U.S. Calls"

[post]

what exactly is the penalty for treason?