Bush Radio 2/23/08: "Congress left on a 10-day recess, left our Nation vulnerable to attack"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

President George W. Bush and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf review Liberian troops Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, during President Bush’s visit to the Barclay Training Center in Monvoria, Liberia. White House photo by Shealah Craighead

For Immediate Release
February 23, 2008

President’s Radio Address

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/02/20080223.html

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This Thursday, Laura and I returned from an inspiring visit to Africa. In Benin and Tanzania, we met leaders who are fighting HIV/AIDS and malaria -- and people whose lives have been saved by the generosity of the American people. In Rwanda, we saw a nation overcoming the pain of genocide with courage and grace and hope. In Ghana, we met entrepreneurs who are exporting their products and building a more prosperous future. And in Liberia, we saw a nation that is recovering from civil war, led by the first democratically elected woman President on the continent. Laura and I returned to Washington impressed by the energy, optimism, and potential of the African people.

Members of Congress will soon be returning to Washington, as well, and they have urgent business to attend to. They left town on a 10-day recess without passing vital legislation giving our intelligence professionals the tools they need to quickly and effectively monitor foreign terrorist communications. Congress' failure to pass this legislation was irresponsible. It will leave our Nation increasingly vulnerable to attack. And Congress must fix this damage to our national security immediately.

The way ahead is clear. The Senate has already passed a good bill by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. This bill has strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, and would pass if given an up or down vote. But House leaders are blocking this legislation, and the reason can be summed up in three words: class action lawsuits.

The Senate bill would prevent plaintiffs' attorneys from suing companies believed to have helped defend America after the 9/11 attacks. More than 40 of these lawsuits have been filed, seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in damages from these companies. It is unfair and unjust to threaten these companies with financial ruin only because they are believed to have done the right thing and helped their country.

But the highest cost of all is to our national security. Without protection from lawsuits, private companies will be increasingly unwilling to take the risk of helping us with vital intelligence activities. After the Congress failed to act last week, one telecommunications company executive was asked by the Wall Street Journal how his company would respond to a request for help. He answered that because of the threat of lawsuits, quote, "I'm not doing it ...I'm not going to do something voluntarily." In other words, the House's refusal to act is undermining our ability to get cooperation from private companies. And that undermines our efforts to protect us from terrorist attack.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell recently explained that the vast majority of the communications infrastructure we rely on in the United States is owned and operated by the private sector. Because of the failure to provide liability protection, he says private companies who have "willingly helped us in the past, are now saying, 'You can't protect me. Why should I help you?'" Senator Jay Rockefeller, the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, puts it this way: "The fact is, if we lose cooperation from these or other private companies, our national security will suffer."

When Congress reconvenes on Monday, Members of the House have a choice to make: They can empower the trial bar -- or they can empower the intelligence community. They can help class action trial lawyers sue for billions of dollars -- or they can help our intelligence officials protect millions of lives. They can put our national security in the hands of plaintiffs' lawyers -- or they can entrust it to the men and women of our government who work day and night to keep us safe. As they make their choice, Members of Congress must never forget: Somewhere in the world, at this very moment, terrorists are planning the next attack on America. And to protect America from such attacks, we must protect our telecommunications companies from abusive lawsuits.

Thank you for listening.

[Botany]

1. asshat .... "left our Nation vulnerable to attack"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. You have to wonder if that document will make the "short list"...

...for Junior's half-billion dollar presidential "lie-berry."

This recent trip has been filled with multiple "Don't do as I do , do as I say" messages. And yet, 19% of Americans still hang onto his every word as if they were Moses transfixed by the burning bush.

:eyes:

[yourout]

2. My question is.....doe anyone actually belive anything he says anymore?

The Neocons know he's blowing smoke but they like the smoke because it's a rich Corporate smoke.

The Fundies know he's blowing smoke but they like it because it's "Gods" smoke.

Everyone else knows he's blowing smoke and are getting ready to call the fire department.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. Meanwhile, King Asshat was in Africa looking like a fool

Nice job, dimwit.

[onethatcares]

5. how the hell does he wrap his head around this?

"to protect America from such attacks, we must protect our telecommunication companies from abusive lawsuits". WTF?????? Are the giants of the communication agencies out there throwing phone books at AQ?

[eShirl]

6. get the plunger

he's full of shit to the brim

[notadmblnd]

7. and it didn't happen.

Imagine that!

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

8. While Chimp was busy gettin' his groove on...

Our government was losing intelligence.

Oh, wait...they did that years ago!

[sandyj999]

9. Chimp and Intelligence Can't Be used in the same Sentence.

:evilgrin:

[no_hypocrisy]

10. How'd you like the part of "Congress can help the trial lawyers and their plaintiff clients

or Congress can help national security".

That was a classic.

[NC_Nurse]

11. "Hey! Any terrorists out there? Please attack now."

I'm sure he'd love that - he'd get what he wanted for the rest of his term! :eyes:

[gratuitous]

12. And what were you doing on September 11, 2001, Mr. Bush?

Sitting in a grade school classroom while our nation was attacked. Then you ran like a scared rabbit to Louisiana and then to Nebraska, completely incommunicado while the rest of the country had to deal with the attacks.

You're such a student of history nowadays, Mr. Bush. I suggest you study and ruminate on the justness of the way Mussolini and Ceaucescu ended their respective tenures as national leaders.