Bush defends eavesdropping program before his own party

U.S. President George W. Bush told lawmakers from his own party Friday that the controversial domestic spying program authorized by him is necessary to fill a gap in the country's security.

"I wake up every morning thinking about a future attack, and therefore, a lot of my thinking, and a lot of the decisions I make are based upon the attack that hurt us," he said during what he described as a "private talk" with the House Republican Caucus at a luxury resort in Cambridge, Maryland.

The president said shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001, he asked the National Security Agency (NSA) to devise a way to gather intelligence on terrorists' potential activities, and the result was the warrantless eavesdropping program which monitors the international e-mails and phone calls of people inside the United States with suspected ties to terrorists overseas.

Bush claimed that lawyers in the White House and at the Justice Department signed off on the program's legality, and "we put constant checks on the program."

The secret eavesdropping program has come under fire from Republicans as well as Democrats since its revelation two months ago.

They argue that existing law requires a warrant from a secret court before Bush could authorize such a domestic spying program.

For its own sake, the House Republican Caucus is in turmoil itself.

With most of Congress up for re-election in November, the House GOP is just off a bruising fight to replace former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, while facing potentially damaging revelations in an ongoing public corruption investigation centered on a high-flying lobbyist with extensive ties to Republicans.

Source: Xinhua