United States Department of Justice

“ The FISA process makes perfect sense in almost all cases of foreign-intelligence monitoring in the United States. Although technology has changed dramatically since FISA was enacted, FISA remains a vital tool in the war on terrorism -- one that we are using to its fullest and will continue to use against al Qaeda and other foreign threats. But the terrorist surveillance program operated by the NSA requires maximum speed and agility to achieve early warning, and even a very brief delay may make the difference between success and failure in detecting and preventing the next attack. ”

“ The history of warfare makes clear that electronic surveillance of the enemy is a fundamental incident to the use of military force. A crucial responsibility of the President—charged by the AUMF and the Constitution—is to identify enemies who attacked us, especially if they are in the United States ready to strike against our Nation. We are at war, and al Qaeda is not a conventional enemy. Since the September 11 attacks, it has promised again and again to deliver another, even more devastating attack on America. ”

“ In the meantime, it has killed hundreds of innocent people around the world through large-scale attacks in Indonesia, Madrid, and London. Al Qaeda’s plans include infiltrating our cities and communities and plotting with affiliates abroad to kill innocent Americans. ”