Bush: Spying Program Protects America

BUSH: SPYING PROGRAM PROTECTS AMERICA
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Tabassum Zakaria]
President George W. Bush on Tuesday defended intelligence programs that have raised concerns the government is spying on Americans, saying his administration was obliged to "connect dots" to protect citizens after the September 11 attacks. A political and public furor erupted after a newspaper report that the National Security Agency collected telephone records of Americans. This followed the revelation last year of a program to eavesdrop inside the United States without court approval on international telephone calls and e-mail of terrorism suspects. Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, sent Bush a letter asking whether the NSA's spying programs were targeting journalists and their sources.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID...
* President Backs Off Wiretap Secrecy
Reversing a position it has held for months, the White House on Tuesday agreed to brief all members of the House and Senate intelligence committees on a controversial domestic wiretapping operation -- just as the architect of the program is facing a contentious confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. In making the concession, the Bush administration is seeking to improve the prospects of the president's nominee to be the next CIA director, Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, by preempting attacks from lawmakers angry that they have been kept in the dark on domestic spying activities.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-nsa17may17,1,423716...

* Size of NSA's database of phone-call records isn't all that impressive
[SOURCE: USAToday]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060517/maney17.art.htm