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Bush Defends Anti-Terror Tactics in Press Session

President Bush speaks to reporters during a news conference at the White House Dec. 19.
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President Bush speaks to reporters during a news conference at the White House Dec. 19.

President Bush defends the legality of his decision to bypass the federal courts and allow federal agents to spy on Americans and others within the United States after terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

During a morning news conference at the White House, President Bush also criticized Congress -- particularly Senate Democrats -- for blocking renewal of the USA Patriot Act.

He also was unusually candid about credibility problems created by faulty pre-war intelligence on Iraqi weapons.

The press conference was President Bush's first lengthy question-and-answer session with reporters in more than two months.

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