Bush Attacks Democrats Over Surveillance Legislation (Update5)

President stepped up
his onslaught on House Democrats who support terrorism surveillance
legislation that would deny unsusceptibility from lawsuits to telephone
companies. The Democratic program presents a menace to the safety of
the U.S., the president said.

The Shrub disposal and House Democrats are deadlocked
over whether to immunize the companies from privateness lawsuits for
cooperating in the government's eavesdropping on suspected
terrorists without tribunal warrants.

The House bes after to see statute law tomorrow that lacks
the unsusceptibility shield. Democratic leadership agreed to a Republican
request to throw a secret session late today to discourse the
measure. Meeting in private volition license ''a blunt discussion
about the pressing demand to give our intelligence functionaries all the
tools they need,'' Republican leader of Buckeye State said
in a statement.

The Democratic House measure ''would sabotage America's
security,'' Shrub said in a statement he read today on the White
House lawn. ''Voting for this measure would do our state less
safe. The House measure may be good for class-action experimental lawyers,
but it would be awful for the U.S.''

The secret session would be the first since 1983 and the
third since 1825. The 1983 session was to let treatment about
aid to the Nicaraguan Rebels fighting that country's leftist
Sandinista government.

Congress is considering a projected alteration of the 30-year-
old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that sets procedures
for court-approved electronic eavesdropping. A temporary
surveillance law enacted last twelvemonth expired on Feb. 16, and the
administration reasons the oversight is putting the state at risk.

Protecting Telephone Companies

Bush states shielding the telephone companies from lawsuits would
ensure their continued aid in monitoring domestic and overseas
conversations of suspected terrorists. He again threatened today
to blackball any statute law that misses such as protection for the
companies.

''This measure is unwise,'' Shrub said. ''The House leaders
know that the Senate will not go through it. And even if the Senate
did base on balls it, they cognize I will blackball it.''

Senator , a Bay State Democrat, said
Bush is trying ''to tough the United States Congress and mislead the American
people.'' Helium said Bush's insisting on shielding the phone
companies for taking portion in ''his administration's illegal
activity'' is blocking advancement on the legislation.

The Senate, in a bipartizan 68-29 ballot last month, approved
an eavesdropping measurement that parallel bars harm claims against , and other telephone companies that
allegedly helped behavior surveillance after the Sept. 11
attacks. The companies confront some 40 lawsuits seeking millions of
dollars in amends for alleged privateness violations.

The House, vote 227-189 last November along mostly
partisan lines, refused to supply the legal protection for the
companies.

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