    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [December 17, 2005]
    [Pages 1870-1872]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    December 17, 2005

        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 homefront. 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 2 weeks. The
    terrorist threat to our country will not expire in 2 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 Qaida and related terrorist organizations.
    Before we intercept these communications, the Government

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    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 Qaida 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 Qaida 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.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. In his address, he referred to the National Commission on
    Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission). The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.

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