How Many Lies Can You Find in this Statement? Bush on Eavesdropping >>>

[Stephanie]

And how many of them are actionable?

QUESTION: On the NSA eavesdropping program, there seems to be growing momentum in Congress to either modify the existing law or write some new law that would give you the latitude to do this and at the same time ensure that people's's civil liberties are protected.

Would you be resistant to the notion of new laws if Congress were to give you what you need to conduct these operations?

BUSH: The terrorist surveillance program is necessary to protect America from attack.

I asked the very questions you asked when we first got going. Let me tell you exactly how this happened.

Right after September the 11th, I said to the people, "What can we do? Can we do more?" -- the people being the operators, a guy like Mike Hayden -- "Can we do more to protect the people? There's going to be a lot of investigation and a lot of discussion about connecting dots. And we have a responsibility to protect the people, so let's make sure we connect the dots."

BUSH: And so he came forward with this program. It wasn't designed in the White House. It was designed where you expect it to be designed, in the NSA.

Secondly, I said, "Before we do anything, I want to make sure it's legal."

And so we had our lawyers look at it. And as part of the debate, the discussion with the American people as to the legality of the program, there's no doubt in my mind it is legal.

And thirdly, "Will there be safeguards to safeguard the civil liberties of the American people?"

There's no doubt in my mind there are safeguards in place to make sure the program focuses on calls coming from outside the United States in, with an Al Qaida -- with a belief that there's an Al Qaida person making the call to somebody here in the States, or vice versa, but not domestic calls.

And so, as I stand here right now, I can tell the American people the program's legal, it's designed to protect civil liberties and it's necessary.

BUSH: Now, my concern has always been that, in an attempt to try to pass a law on something that's already legal, we'll show the enemy what we're doing.

And we briefed Congress -- members of Congress. We'll continue to do that.

But it's important for people to understand that this program is so sensitive and so important that if information gets out to how we run it or how we operate it, it'll help the enemy.

And so, of course, we'll listen to ideas. But I want to make sure that people understand that if the attempt to write law makes this program -- is likely to expose the nature of the program, I'll resist it.

BUSH: And I think the American people understand that.

Why tell the enemy what we're doing if the program is necessary to protect us from the enemy? And it is.

And it's legal. And we'll continue to brief Congress. And we review it a lot. And we review it not only at the Justice Department but with a good legal staff inside NSA.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/26/AR2006012600853.html?nav=hcmodule

[wtbymark]

1. 22 lies n/t

[Stephanie]

2. ok thanks

[Arkansas Granny]

3. What are the rules for counting? Do we have to separate the lies

point by point or does each repetition count as a separate lie? It really won't matter much, because I lost count after the first few sentences.

[Stephanie]

6. Each lie that he will be asked to explain in his impeachment trial -

counts as one.

[Arkansas Granny]

8. OK. Let me start over (and take off my shoes to facilitate counting).

[im10ashus]

4. If his mouth was moving...

You know the rest.

This is an outright lie:
"Now, my concern has always been that, in an attempt to try to pass a law on something that's already legal, we'll show the enemy what we're doing."

It was NOT already legal and he knows it.

[Stephanie]

5. How about this whopper?

Secondly, I said, "Before we do anything, I want to make sure it's legal."

[im10ashus]

9. Or this?

"And I think the American people understand that."

We do?

[MADem]

7. If that shitheel's lips are moving, he's lying

But that transcript bears NO resemblance to the actual presser. Where are all the unnnnnnnhhhs, duhhhhhhhhs, heh heh hehs, misspoken words (my favorite today--pin-inch-shoe-luh for peninsula), poor grammar, and general mushmouthyness?