Will speech be more about resubmitting the Patriot Act than about Iraq?

Bush defends eavesdropping act
19 December 2005

WASHINGTON: President George W Bush defended a secret order he signed allowing for eavesdropping on people in the United States, as he fought for the renewal of the anti-terror USA Patriot Act at the weekend.


On Capitol Hill, where a hearing has been promised on Bush's order, lawmakers in both parties said they wanted to avoid allowing the Patriot Act to expire. One possibility was a temporary extension until differences could be resolved in efforts to balance national security with civil liberties.

Bush said he made the secret order to allow eavesdropping of people in the United States after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and criticised leaks to the news media about it.

"I authorised the National Security Agency, consistent with US law and the Constitution, to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organisations," Bush said in a rare live radio address.

"This is a highly classified programme that is crucial to our national security," Bush said.


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http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3515729a12,00.html

He will mention the patriot act is required to protect our freedoms but it won't usurp Iraqi election propaganda