Bush Acknowledges Secret Spy Program and Defends It

One day after the New York Times reported that Pres. Bush authorized the National Security Agency to bypass the courts to conduct surveillance on Americans, Bush has publicly acknowledged that the report is true.

Far from being apologetic, or even defensive about having broken federal law, Bush said he will continue to allow warrantless searches on U.S. citizens, calling such searches a "vital tool in our war against the terrorists."

Bush also belligerently attacked the Senate for refusing to vote on and pass the legislation renewing the Patriot Act; and "sharply criticized the leak of the information, saying it had been 'improperly provided to news organizations' ":

As a result of the report, he said, "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."

I added the emphasis on the words "is illegal." It's difficult to believe that even Bush has this much chutzpah -- or hypocrisy. After breaking federal law and essentially authorizing a government agency to engage in criminal activity, this arrogant prick is accusing OTHERS of breaking the law. It's breathtaking.