Radio Address by the President to the Nation (A MUST READ)

The White House ^ | dec. 167 2005 | president bush

[blogblogginaway]

RADIO ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION

The Roosevelt Room

10:06 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.

As President, I took an oath to defend the Constitution, and I have no greater responsibility than to protect our people, our freedom, and our way of life. On September the 11th, 2001, our freedom and way of life came under attack by brutal enemies who killed nearly 3,000 innocent Americans. We're fighting these enemies across the world. Yet in this first war of the 21st century, one of the most critical battlefronts is the home front. And since September the 11th, we've been on the offensive against the terrorists plotting within our borders.

One of the first actions we took to protect America after our nation was attacked was to ask Congress to pass the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act tore down the legal and bureaucratic wall that kept law enforcement and intelligence authorities from sharing vital information about terrorist threats. And the Patriot Act allowed federal investigators to pursue terrorists with tools they already used against other criminals. Congress passed this law with a large, bipartisan majority, including a vote of 98-1 in the United States Senate.

Since then, America's law enforcement personnel have used this critical law to prosecute terrorist operatives and supporters, and to break up terrorist cells in New York, Oregon, Virginia, California, Texas and Ohio. The Patriot Act has accomplished exactly what it was designed to do: it has protected American liberty and saved American lives.

Yet key provisions of this law are set to expire in two weeks. The terrorist treat to our country will not expire in two weeks. The terrorists want to attack America again, and inflict even greater damage than they did on September the 11th. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that law enforcement and intelligence officials have the tools they need to protect the American people.

The House of Representatives passed reauthorization of the Patriot Act. Yet a minority of senators filibustered to block the renewal of the Patriot Act when it came up for a vote yesterday. That decision is irresponsible, and it endangers the lives of our citizens. The senators who are filibustering must stop their delaying tactics, and the Senate must vote to reauthorize the Patriot Act. In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment.

To fight the war on terror, I am using authority vested in me by Congress, including the Joint Authorization for Use of Military Force, which passed overwhelmingly in the first week after September the 11th. I'm also using constitutional authority vested in me as Commander-in-Chief.

In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on our nation, I authorized the National Security Agency, consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution, to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. Before we intercept these communications, the government must have information that establishes a clear link to these terrorist networks.

This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security. Its purpose is to detect and prevent terrorist attacks against the United States, our friends and allies. 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.

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. Two of the terrorist hijackers who flew a jet into the Pentagon, Nawaf al Hamzi and Khalid al Mihdhar, communicated while they were in the United States to other members of al Qaeda who were overseas. But we didn't know they were here, until it was too late.

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.

The activities I authorized are reviewed approximately every 45 days. Each review is based on a fresh intelligence assessment of terrorist threats to the continuity of our government and the threat of catastrophic damage to our homeland. During each assessment, previous activities under the authorization are reviewed. The review includes approval by our nation's top legal officials, including the Attorney General and the Counsel to the President. 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.

The NSA's activities under this authorization are thoroughly reviewed by the Justice Department and NSA's top legal officials, including NSA's general counsel and inspector general. Leaders in Congress have been briefed more than a dozen times on this authorization and the activities conducted under it. Intelligence officials involved in this activity also receive extensive training to ensure they perform their duties consistent with the letter and intent of the authorization.

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.

Thank you.

END 10:13 A.M. EST

[Howlin]

Oh, you're quoting CHUCK BALDWIN, too?

Enough said.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Yes. Pat Buchanan would be so much more effective at protecting us.

< /sarcasm>

[Peach]

Are you quoting Constitution Party VP candidate Chuck Baldwin? Enough said indeed.

[57chevypreterist]

I will take you at your word that Thompson is "a documented liar" as you say (at least until I take the time to satify myself as to that evidence); but you'll have to prove to me that Baldwin falls into the same category.

[57chevypreterist]

Yes I am. Do you have any evidence that he is unreliable/untrustworthy?

[Howlin]

Chuck Baldwin is a whacko just like Lew Rockwell.

And I really don't care if you take my word about Thompson or not; you obviously knew that that article was repeatedly posted on this site and repeatedly PULLED because it's not allowed here, so you tried to sneak it in your tagline.

[Howlin]

Yes, he is.

The Bush Haters.

[ncpatriot]

If we had not gone into Iraq, the terrorists would be "housed" in Iraq and attacking Afghanistan. It would be BAD.

[Howlin]

LOL!

[Howlin]

Absolutely, as I say right here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1542363/posts?page=226#226

It helps to identify the malcontents though.

[BlackjackPershing]

Well, the FBI is using it to investigate domestic, non-terror-related crime. This should stop. This is not the intention of the Patriot Act, and should never be.

[57chevypreterist]

And I really don't care if you take my word about Thompson or not; you obviously knew that that article was repeatedly posted on this site and repeatedly PULLED because it's not allowed here, so you tried to sneak it in your tagline.

You are wrong. I did not know that the article was repeatedly posted on this site; in fact my original post # 31 was pulled by the moderator and I have sent an e-mail asking if I violated Freep's rules so that I don't do it again. This is not my site; I will respect the posted rules.

Just curious: why would it not be allowed here?

Chuck Baldwin is a whacko just like Lew Rockwell.

Now you sound like a liberal with your ad hominem attacks. Sounds to me like you can't handle REAL conservatives.

[Howlin]

Just curious: why would it not be allowed here?

Because he's a DOCUMENTED liar? Get it?

Sounds to me like you can't handle REAL conservatives.

Are you proporting to be one?

We've been "handling" the likes of you for over seven years right on this site.

"Real conservatives" don't lie.

It's pretty telling that you took Chuck Baldwiin's word about something Doug Thompson said and used it as your tagline WITHOUT CHECKING TO SEE IF IT'S TRUE.

Some "real" conservative.

[Grampa Dave]

"Shouldn't you be scouring the 'Net looking for mildly negative economic news to blow out of proportion??"

Thanks for the best laugh of the day, a miserable rainy one.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Goodbye.

Y'all don't come back now, y'hear?

[Horatio Gates]

BTTT

[Howlin]

:-)

[BigSkyFreeper]

McCain came up that abomination, but the President signed onto it.

You're being unfair to the President. McCain ATTACHED his sickening terrorist sympathizer bill to a bill providing key military funding. To veto McCain's bill would mean denying our troops the needed funding to continue in the WOT.

Shame on McCain. Because this stunt by McCain will give the Left and McCain some red meat to go after the President through the media.

Vetoing this bill will enable McCain and the leftist turds in this country to say "President Bush doesn't give a sh** about our troops".

[JerseyDvl]

Good speech indeed, the President has been fighting back like we asked for a while now. Backhanded tricks to undermine will no longer work since he is now in full control of the bully pulpit.
I am listening to the speech live now and the facts speak for themselves. There was oversight concerning this program every 45 days and NOTHING was done without NSA and WH counsel involvement as well as the AG.
Since it was secret the dummies have the "plausible deniability" which they are now exercising. It comes across as transparent and treacherous lying.

[finnman69]

NY Times reporter James Risen


If Judy Miller went to prison to protect a source over a non-crime, James Risen better be talking to his lawyers now.

This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security. Its purpose is to detect and prevent terrorist attacks against the United States, our friends and allies. 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.