Tuesday October 9 3:02 PM ET

White House Defends Anti-Leak Policy

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House Tuesday strongly defended President Bush's decision to restrict most members of Congress from access to sensitive information about U.S. military strikes abroad or threats to Americans at home after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Working to bolster the government bureaucracy in his war on terrorism, Bush chose retired Army Gen. Wayne Downing to be deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism, and Richard Clarke, who was already working on anti-terrorism at the White House, as special adviser for cyberspace security.

``Let's not make any bones about it,'' said Clarke at his announcement ceremony. ``This is going to be an extremely difficult job. It's a tough foe, it's a determined foe, and as events have shown us, it is a very, very smart foe and a crafty foe.''

Bush, trying to keep an international coalition together, was due to meet German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Tuesday in a visit aides said was arranged over the weekend as the United States launched air strikes against Afghanistan. Bush spoke by telephone with Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade.

The German newspaper Bild, in a report to appear on Wednesday, said Schroeder would offer German surveillance planes and transport aircraft that could help deliver humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

Seeking to cork leaks from Capitol Hill, Bush told key members of his Cabinet in an Oct. 5 memo that ``until you receive further notice from me'' only eight key members of Congress could be briefed on the U.S. response to the attacks, instead of the larger group that would expect to be told.

Aides said Bush was angered by leaks from a closed briefing by CIA officials to the Senate Intelligence Committee last week. The Washington Post reported the committee was told of a ''100 percent threat risk'' of more attacks on U.S. soil that could encompass assaults against exposed infrastructure like natural gas pipelines and nuclear power plants.

The decision, disclosed Monday, has led to grumbling among members of Congress that Bush was abusing their traditional oversight role. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer's daily briefing was dominated by questions about the new policy, which is aimed at stopping news leaks from Capitol Hill on both the military operation and the law enforcement effort in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

CHANGED RULES

``It's a reflection of the fact that our nation is now at war, and the rules have changed,'' said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

Separately, Bush notified leaders of Congress in a letter that the U.S. military operation was likely to be long.

``It is not possible to know at this time either the duration of the combat operations or the scope and duration of the deployment of U.S. armed forces necessary to counter the terrorist threat to the United States,'' he wrote.

Two cases in Florida of anthrax, a rare, often fatal infection that sparked fears of biological terrorism, has prompted the federal government to investigate whether it was related to Sept. 11.

Fleischer said ``it remains a situation of concern'' but cautioned against jumping to conclusions.

``The federal government will continue to vigorously pursue any possible leads to make certain that all health considerations are fully addressed to the satisfaction of anybody who has concerns,'' Fleischer said.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers shelter Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden, whom the United States blames for the Sept. 11 attacks that killed more than 5,500 people.

The military strikes against Afghanistan are prompting some violent protests in the Arab world. Pakistan's largest Islamic party Tuesday threatened to put millions of protesters on the streets if the strikes were not stopped.

Fleischer cited supportive comments from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and the governments of Jordan and Bahrain.

He said he was aware of press accounts saying Bush had been asked for an interview by al-Jazeera -- an Arabic television station in Qatar that broadcast bin Laden's denunciation of the West after the air strikes began -- and that if it was indeed true the White House would consider it. British Prime Minister Tony Blair used an interview with the station Monday to counter bin Laden's efforts to rally Arab opinion around him.

A CBS News poll released Tuesday said Americans overwhelmingly supported the strikes on Afghanistan and Bush's overall response to last month's attacks on the United States.

Eighty-seven percent of those surveyed approved of the strikes launched, while 6 percent disapproved. Ninety percent approved of Bush's overall performance, up from 89 percent last month.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Answers

Well, maybe if they offer up the idiot that leaked the news, Bush would go back to briefing them.

Personally I think if they are going to behave like children and test the president, they should be treated like children.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001