In his radio address today, President Bush blasted the House Democrats for failing to extend the Protect America Act that authorizes terrorist surveillance.

Good morning.  At the stroke of midnight tonight, a vital intelligence law that is helping protect our nation will expire.  Congress had the power to prevent this from happening, but chose not to. 

The Senate passed a good bill that would have given our intelligence professionals the tools they need to keep us safe.  But leaders in the House of Representatives blocked a House vote on the Senate bill, and then left on a 10-day recess. 

Some congressional leaders claim that this will not affect our security.  They are wrong.  Because Congress failed to act, it will be harder for our government to keep you safe from terrorist attack.  At midnight, the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence will be stripped of their power to authorize new surveillance against terrorist threats abroad.  This means that as terrorists change their tactics to avoid our surveillance, we may not have the tools we need to continue tracking them — and we may lose a vital lead that could prevent an attack on America. 

In addition, Congress has put intelligence activities at risk even when the terrorists don’t change tactics.  By failing to act, Congress has created a question about whether private sector companies who assist in our efforts to defend you from the terrorists could be sued for doing the right thing.  Now, these companies will be increasingly reluctant to provide this vital cooperation, because of their uncertainty about the law and fear of being sued by class-action trial lawyers.

For six months, I urged Congress to take action to ensure this dangerous situation did not come to pass.

Andrew McCarthy has more: When the Clock Strikes Midnight, We Will Be Significantly Less Safe.