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SALT LAKE CITY — Reaction is pouring in fast over President Obama's recommendations to change the government's controversial intelligence gathering methods.
Trying to pivot away from the thorny issue of surveillance, President Obama is back talking up the economy this morning in his weekly address.
"We're going to have to act to create good jobs that pay good wages and to offer more Americans a fair shot to get ahead," Obama said. "I believe we need a new approach."
But the debate in Washington is still swirling around the president's call for changes to the government's surveillance program, much of it exposed by Edward Snowden.
Speaking at the justice department, Mr. Obama announced several reforms Friday, saying the government should no longer store mass phone records, and calling on the attorney general to recommend an alternative method.
He also announced records can only be accessed through a court order, and he banned spying on foreign allies unless there is a national security risk.
"The reforms I'm proposing today should give the American people greater confidence that their rights are being protected," the president said.
Reaction was swift. House speaker John Boehner accused the president of failing to "adequately explain the necessity of these programs."
Privacy advocates — Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall called for more restraint on the NSA, and some in the intelligence community expressed concerns that national security could be weakened.
"This is fraught with peril for anyone in the private sector to do this," said former CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden.
The vast collection of data was put in place after the September 11 attacks, and as a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama was a harsh critic of the program. Now as president he is learning how hard it is to reign in entrenched techniques and to quiet such a large political firestorm.
"The White House really viewed it really as urgent to get this NSA issue if not completely resolved bottled up contained and move to some other forum so the President of the United States can get on to talk about other issues he wanted to address," said Josh Gerstein of Politico.
