Expectations High Ahead of Obama Surveillance Speech | Voice of America - English
White House officials say President Barack Obama is set to end government control of its massive collection of records about phone calls Americans make and require judicial approval to search the data. 	  	Obama aides say the president will call Friday for the government to move away from controlling the records by March 28, the date on which a secret surveillance court would have to reauthorize the program.
During the speech at the Department of Justice, the president will address , including those aimed at imposing more accountability and transparency. White House press secretary Jay Carney cautioned the media against making any presumptions about what Obama may say. Carney said the president has always recognized the validity of the debate sparked by the revelation of U.S. surveillance activities. "The debates that those disclosures sparked were legitimate," said Carney. Matthew Aid, intelligence historian and author of a book about the National Security Agency, says indications are that not everyone will be happy with what Obama lays out. "There is a lot of concern that he is going to try to straddle the wall, try to please the critics of the National Security Agency and at the same time make nice with the U.S. intelligence community, and I don't think you can do it," said Aid. Obama, and the intelligence community itself, also face pressure from lawmakers to ensure accountability. According to Britain's  newspaper, a U.S. government funding bill directs the NSA to disclose the number of records it collects over a five-year period and report to key House and Senate committees within 90 days. "I believe strongly that we must impose stronger limits on government surveillance powers and I am confident that most Vermonters agree with me," said Democratic Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I believe that most Americans agree with me. Having said that, we want to do it right." Debate continues over the extent to which NSA surveillance methods have actually prevented terrorist attacks. The presidential panel said it "was not essential to preventing attacks," a finding supported by a separate study by the Washington-based New America Foundation. Former CIA deputy director Mike Morell said the bulk data program, known as Section 215 in U.S. law, was not as useful as one aimed at foreigners, but still had value. "It is absolutely true that the 215 program has not played a significant role in disrupting any attacks to this point. That is a different statement than saying the program is not important," said Morell. Morell said "it turned out be wrong" that existing oversight over the bulk phone data program would succeed in maintaining the public trust. Polls in recent months have shown a majority of Americans believe existing laws are inadequate when it comes to oversight of NSA methods. "The latest polling that I have seen indicates that the public continues to lose confidence, especially for those who fear or are concerned about their privacy," said intelligence historian Aid. Globally, Obama's remarks will be carefully assessed because of the controversy over NSA eavesdropping — revealed by Snowden leaks — on phone calls of key leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Among 46 recommendations, the review panel called for high-level approval of sensitive intelligence requirements, including identifying "uses and limits" of surveillance of foreign leaders.