Bush Denies Monitoring U.S. Calls

But Sidesteps Whether NSA Compiles Phone Data On Millions Of Americans

(AP)  President Bush insisted Tuesday that the United States does not listen in on domestic telephone conversations among ordinary Americans. But he declined to say whether the government's compiling of phone records was an invasion of privacy.

"We do not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval," Mr. Bush said during an East Room news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. "What I've told the American people is we'll protect them against an al Qaeda attack. And we'll do that within the law,.

"This government will continue to guard the privacy of the American people. But if al Qaeda is calling into the United States, we want to know, and we want to know why," the president added.

However, Mr. Bush did not respond directly when asked whether it was a violation of privacy for the National Security Agency to seek phone records from telephone companies.

A Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday on Mr. Bush's nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to head the Central Intelligence Agency. As the NSA director from 1999-2005, Hayden oversaw the government's warrantless surveillance program.

Questions about that program and new revelations about the NSA's phone data bank may be obstacles to Hayden's confirmation.

Mr. Bush did appear to acknowledge the NSA sweep of phone records indirectly, saying that the program referred to by a reporter in a question "is one that has been fully briefed to members of the United States Congress in both political parties."

"They're very aware of what is taking place. The American people expect their government to protect them within the laws of this country, and I'm going to continue to do just that," he said.

On another subject, Mr. Bush defended his day-old initiative that aims to place up to 6,000 National Guard troops along the country's southern border to help enforce immigration laws.

The deployment "really is not going to put a strain on our capacity to fight and win the war on terror," Mr. Bush said. Critics have suggested that National Guard troops, who would carry out this mission, already are stretched thin with assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan and in coping with natural disasters at home, including Hurricane Katrina.

He thanked Howard for standing firm on keeping Australian troops in Iraq.

For his part, Howard said the "war on terror will go on for some time. I think we have to accept that."