Bush: "And these telephone companies…. Are afraid they’re going to be sued."

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/air_force_one_warms_up_bushhil.html#more

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The president summoned Republican leaders of Congress to the White House this morning to see what can be done before his scheduled departure this evening for a six-day trip through Africa, his second as president. Nothing really: the House and Senate are leaving town for a 12-day recesss. So Bush, too, will leave for Africa. For Bush, Africa represents the one continent where his administration can tout some real progress in American foreign relations, with the U.S. lending great assistance in wars against disease and poverty.

"The Senate passed a good bipartisan bill that makes sure our intelligence community has the tools necessary to protect Americans from this real threat,'' Bush said this morning in the Oval Office. "This bill comes to the House of Representatives and it was blocked, and by blocking this piece of legislation our country is more threatened by attack… Intelligence officials won’t have the tools necessary to get as much attention as we possibly can to protect you…. And these telephone companies…. Are afraid they’re going to be sued.

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“The lives of countless Americans depend on our ability to monitor terrorist communications,’’ he said. “Our intelligence professionals are working day and night to keep us safe, and they're waiting to see whether Congress will give them the tools they need to succeed or tie their hands by failing to act. The American people are watching this debate, as well. They expect Congress to meet its responsibilities before they leave town on a recess.

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“Who's to blame? Look, these folks in Congress passed a good bill last -- late last summer. In other words, they analyzed the situation, they said there's a threat, and they agreed to give our professionals the tools they needed to do the job. The problem is they let the bill expire. My attitude is, if the bill was good enough then, why not pass the bill again? I mean, the threat hasn't gone away.

Already, (DNI McConnell) says the roughly 40 lawsuits filed against telecom companies nationwide have chilled the private sector's willingness to help the intelligence agencies in ways unrelated to electronic surveillance. Exactly how is classified, and he won't elaborate.