When asked about a domestic telephone database maintained as part of the government's efforts to investigate terrorism, Press Secretary Tony Snow referred Tuesday to a USA Today poll finding that "something like 64 percent" of respondents weren't "troubled" by government possession of "a roster of phone numbers". This column called Snow's accuracy into question, saying his figure "would appear" to come from a different, Washington Post/ABC News poll. Snow was referring, however, to a USA Today/Gallup poll question, which found that 64 percent of respondents would not be concerned "at all" or would not be "too concerned" if they knew the government had their phone records.
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The Two Faces of Tony Snow
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"We've also been clear about the fact that we do not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval, and that 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.
"For the Australian press friends here . . . the program he's asking about is one that has been fully briefed to members of the United States Congress, in both political parties. They are 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."
While not exactly forthcoming, it was an obvious acknowledgment that the "program he's asking about" exists.
But right out of the gates at his press briefing , Snow misrepresented what the president said.
"Q In his news conference with John Howard, was the President giving kind of a back-handed confirmation of the stories that the NSA is compiling telephone --
"MR. SNOW: No, he wasn't. If you go back and listen to the answer he gave you, he was talking about foreign-to-domestic calls. The allegations in the USA Today piece , which we'll neither confirm or deny, are of a different nature. So, no, he was not giving a back-handed confirmation."
If in fact you go back to look at that transcript , there was no mention of foreign-to-domestic calls. Bush did say "if al Qaeda is calling into the United States, we want to know, and we want to know why," but then he clearly referred again to the original question, which was about the domestic database.
At his briefing, Snow proceeded to engage in precisely the same sort of back-handed discourse, actually referring to aspects of the USA Today story when it served his purposes -- but then refusing to answer any questions, when it didn't.
Here's part of his exchange with Hearst columnist Helen Thomas:
Snow: "[Y]ou're mentioning a USA Today story about which this administration has no comment. But I would direct you back to the USA Today story itself, and if you analyze what that story said, what did it say? It said there is no wiretapping of individual calls, there is no personal information that is being relayed. There is no name, there is no address, there is no consequence of the calls, there's no description of who the party on the other end is.
"Q Privacy was breached by turning over their phone numbers.
"MR. SNOW: Well, again, you are jumping to conclusions about a program, the existence of which we will neither confirm, nor deny."
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