Bush Calls Blockage of Patriot Act 'Inexcusable'

"And so the idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon is -- people say, well, we can't let that happen," Bush said. "The next step is to make sure that the world understands that the capacity to enrich uranium for a civilian program would lead to a weapons program. And so, therefore, we cannot allow the Iranians to have the capacity to enrich."

After the news conference, Senate Democrats criticized Bush for claiming that the secret spying program was legally grounded, and they charged that he is not doing enough to push Iraqi leaders toward political compromises that would undercut the country's insurgency.

Addressing reporters in the East Room of the White House, Bush hailed Iraq's "historic elections" last week for a new National Assembly, leading to formation of a permanent government for a four-year term under the country's new constitution, which was ratified in October.

"Millions of Iraqis are looking forward to a future with hope and optimism," Bush said. He cautioned that Iraqis "still face many challenges" and that forming a new government "will take time," especially since vote-counting from the Dec. 15 elections is not expected to be completed until some time in January.

"The work ahead will require the patience of the Iraqi people and the patience and support of America and our coalition partners," Bush said. He added that "this election does not mean the end of violence, but it is the beginning of something new: a constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East."

In a Capitol Hill news conference, Democratic Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Jack Reed of Rhode Island and RussellFeingold of Wisconsin said they were pleased that millions of Iraqis, including large numbers of Sunni Muslim Arabs, voted in the elections. But they urged the administration to do more to help heal Iraq's divisions, an effort they said would strengthen counter-insurgency efforts and enable U.S. troops to come home.

Levin said the new constitution, crafted largely by representatives of the Shiite Muslim majority and ethnic Kurds, "is a divisive document" that needs to be amended to bring in the Sunni Arab minority, the main base of support for the insurgency.

Levin said Bush gave "a very weak response" when asked if he would urge Iraqis to amend the constitution. Sunnis have demanded amendments that would give their community a greater share of power and oil resources.

Feingold charged that Bush's policy in the war on terrorism is "Iraq-centric" and fails to deal adequately with the al Qaeda terrorist network that carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I think the president continues to talk about Iraq so much because he's basically covering up for the fact that that wasn't the right next move in the fight against terrorism," Feingold said. "That wasn't the top priority. He keeps arguing that Osama bin Laden says that Iraq is the central focus in the war of terrorism. Since when do we let our opponents decide where the central focus should be?"

The U.S. military operation in Iraq "has essentially run its course," said Feingold, who favors a withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2006.