Bush not opposed to eavesdropping hearings

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - President George W. Bush today defended his authorisation of domestic eavesdropping and said he did not oppose congressional hearings as long as they did not provide information to the enemy.

"I can understand concerns about this programme, before I went forward I wanted to make sure I had all the legal authority necessary to make this decision as your president," he said. "We are a ... country of law."

Critics have questioned whether it was legal for Bush to authorise the National Security Agency to eavesdrop inside the United States on Americans with suspected terrorism ties without getting court approval.

"I have the right as the commander in chief in a time of war to take action necessary to protect the American people," Bush said in Kentucky where he gave a speech on Iraq and terrorism.

"One way to protect us is to understand the nature of the enemy. Part of being able to deal with this kind of enemy in a different kind of war is to understand why they're making decisions they're making inside our country," Bush said.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, has said he wants to hold hearings in early February on the domestic eavesdropping.

Bush said hearings were "good for democracy" if they did not help the enemy.

"Just so long as the hearings, as they explore whether or not I have the prerogative to make the decision I made doesn't tell the enemy what we're doing -- see that's the danger," Bush said.

- REUTERS