Any comparison to past abuses is highly misleading.


The gross distortion of two vital National Security Agency (NSA) programs is dangerous and unfortunate.

Neither program authorizes NSA to read e-mails or listen to phone calls of American citizens. Both are constitutional with numerous checks and balances by all three branches of government.

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They have been authorized and overseen by Congress and presidents of both parties. And they have produced vital intelligence, preventing dozens of terrorist attacks around the world, including plots against New York City subways and the New York Stock Exchange.

The first program allows NSA to preserve a limited category of business records. It preserves only phone numbers and the date, time and duration of calls. It doesn't include any names or the content of calls.

These records can only be accessed when NSA is investigating a foreign terrorist. If a foreign terrorist is found linked to an American, the tip is passed to the FBI and requires a court order before additional action can be taken. This is a critical tool for connecting the dots between foreign terrorists plotting attacks in the U.S.

The second program allows the NSA to target foreigners overseas to collect certain foreign intelligence with court approval.

It doesn't create a "back door" to any company's server, and doesn't authorize monitoring of U.S. citizens. No U.S. person anywhere in the world can be intentionally monitored without a specific order.

Any comparison to government abuses in decades past is highly misleading. Today's programs are authorized in law, with a thorough system of oversight and checks and balances in place, and a court review not present in the past.

Now each of the agencies has an inspector general and general counsels who ensure that these authorities are exercised in accordance with the law. The House and Senate each have Intelligence Committees charged with overseeing these authorities.

Additionally, electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes occurs with approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. None of these structures and protections was in place in the 1950s, '60s or '70s.

These narrowly targeted programs are legal, do not invade Americans' privacy, and are essential to detecting and disrupting future terrorist attacks.
