President Bush defends NSA's warrantless wiretap program

~ Bush says he "strongly disagrees" with the judge's ruling that the surveillance was unconstitutional.

CAMP DAVID, Md. -- President Bush said those who agree with a federal judge that his warrantless surveillance program is unconstitutional "simply do not understand the nature of the world in which we live."

"This country of ours is at war," the president said Friday. "And we must give those whose responsibility it is to protect the United States the tools necessary to protect this country in a time of war."

The day before, a federal judge in Michigan struck down the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program, ruling it was an unconstitutional infringement on the right to privacy and free speech. Upon Bush's orders, the Justice Department appealed within hours.

"I strongly disagree with this decision. Strongly disagree," he said of the ruling by U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Bush suggested he sees the issue as a politically potent one in a year when most of Congress is up for re-election, and GOP control of the Capitol is in danger.

"I made my position clear," he said. "It'll be interesting to see what other policy-makers -- how other policy-makers react."

The president, speaking to reporters after meeting with his economic team, also acknowledged it could take time for the people of Lebanon and the world to come to his view of the war between Israel and Hezbollah as a loss for the militant group.

"The first reaction, of course, of Hezbollah and its supporters is to declare victory. I guess I would have done the same thing if I were them," Bush said. "Sometimes it takes people awhile to come to the sober realization of what forces create stability and what don't. Hezbollah is a force of instability."

Bush expressed some disappointment with France's decision to offer just 400 soldiers to a U.N. peacekeeping force being developed to calm the situation in southern Lebanon. France was expected to lead the mission, and its announcement of such a small number led to doubts that the force would deploy quickly.

"France has said they will send some troops," the president said tersely. "We hope they send more. And there's been different signals coming out of France. Yesterday they had a statement; today they had a statement."

The United States has said it will not commit ground troops to the United Nations force, a 15,000-strong operation that is supposed to augment an equal number of Lebanese troops. Still, Bush said he would work to convince allies to take part.

"We'll work with nations to step up to the plate and do what they voted to do at the United Nations, and that is to provide robust international forces to help the Lebanese army retake the south," he said.

The president refused to address reports that North Korea may be preparing for an underground test of a nuclear bomb.

"It's a hypothetical question and you're asking me to divulge any intelligence information I have and I'm not going to do that, as you know. I'm not going to break tradition," he said.

Yet, Bush went on to say, "If North Korea were to conduct a test, it's just a constant reminder for people in the neighborhood in particular that North Korea poses a threat and we expect our friends, those sitting around the table with us, to act in such a manner as to help rid the world of the threat."

He was referring to six-party talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. The participants are Japan, China, Russia, the United States and North and South Korea.

The stated topic for the gathering of Bush and his economic advisers at the presidential retreat here in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains was the economy. Bush was upbeat, despite soaring gas prices and signs of a slowdown -- including falling industrial production and rising unemployment.

The meetings, which began with a dinner Thursday evening, came at a time when only 37 percent of Americans support the president's handling of the economy, according to AP-Ipsos polling in early August. It also comes about two months before congressional midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans continue to control the House and the Senate.

"The foundation of our economy is solid and is strong," the president said.

"The economy grew at a 4 percent annual rate during the first half of 2006," he said. "And this means that our economy is maintaining solid growth in performing in line with expectations."