Jeb Bush, a probable Republican presidential candidate, defended the “hugely important” NSA data collection program in a speech today in Chicago:
“You must be prepared for a long term commitment to fight this battle,” Bush said of the fight against radical Islamic terrorism.
“These attacks require response on many levels but most of all we should focus on preventing them. That requires responsible intelligence gathering and analysis, including the NSA meta data program, which contributes to awareness of potential terror cells and interdiction efforts on a global scale.
“For the life of me, Ido not understand — the debate has gotten off track, where we’re not understanding and protecting — we do protect our civil liberties. This is a hugely important program to use these technologies keep us safe.”
