Democrats accuse Bush of fanning terrorism fears

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Democrats accused U.S. President Bush on Saturday of fanning terrorism fears shamelessly as he was about to lose certain authority to wiretap foreign suspects without a court warrant.

Bush, for his part, flailed the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for what he called putting U.S. security at risk for political motives in an election year.

The Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, responding to a Republican blitz on the issue, said there should be no question in anyone's mind that U.S. intelligence agencies retained the right to take "all actions necessary to protect" U.S. security.

"For anyone to suggest otherwise is irresponsible and totally inaccurate," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said in a joint statement.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, in the Democratic Party response to Bush's weekly radio address, added, "We know this president dislikes compromise, but this time he has taken his stubborn approach too far."

"He is whipping up false fears, and creating artificial confrontation," said Whitehouse, a former federal prosecutor and Rhode Island attorney general who serves on the Senate intelligence and judiciary committees.

At issue is a temporary law passed in August that expanded warrantless surveillance powers. Bush, a Republican, wants Congress to make permanent the law, set to lapse at midnight Saturday.

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