Bush puzzled by U.S. re-entry plan

WASHINGTON — President Bush expressed dismay yesterday over plans to require American, Canadian and Mexican citizens to show passports to enter the United States — a requirement of an intelligence-reform bill he signed late last year — saying it could "disrupt the honest flow of traffic."

"When I first read that in the newspaper, about the need to have passports, for particularly the day crossings that take place — about a million, for example in the state of Texas — I said, 'What's going on here?"' Bush told the American Society of Newspaper Editors. "I thought there was a better way to ... expedite the legal flow of traffic and people."

Bush said he has instructed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Department of Homeland Security to review the plan to see if there is any way to lessen the impact, such as using electronic fingerprint imaging "to serve as a so-called passport for daily traffic."

In calling for flexibility, Bush is looking to change part of the sweeping intelligence-overhaul bill that Congress passed and he signed last December. The change is aimed at preventing terrorists from entering the country by exploiting what U.S. officials believe is today's overly permissive policy.

In most cases, U.S. citizens must show only driver's licenses to re-enter from Mexico and Canada. The new rules also will require Mexicans and Canadians to present passports or another official document to enter this country. The change has raised concerns among businesses, such as trucking and tourism companies.

A senior U.S. government official said State and Homeland Security officials had vetted the change exhaustively with the White House before announcing it April 5.

In a speech to the editors, Bush focused mostly on rising gas prices, the administration's energy policy, Social Security and his efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East.

In the question-and-answer session that followed, Bush defended the administration's refusal to declassify more information since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and said he is in the beginning stages of selling his plan to restructure Social Security. He also discussed the death penalty, China and other issues.

Bush, who presided over more executions as governor of Texas than any other governor, said there is no contradiction between supporting the death penalty and defending what he calls a "culture of life" by intervening to try to save Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman in Florida who died last month.

"The difference between the case of Terri Schiavo and the case of a convicted killer is the difference between guilt and innocence," he said.

Polls continue to show a lack of public support for his plan to allow workers younger than 55 to put some of their Social Security taxes into private accounts, and Bush said it is going to "take a while" to persuade Congress to restructure the federal retirement program. "This is a heavy lift for a lot of people in Congress," he said.

Speaking about reports that the administration paid media figures to promote its policies, Bush said it was wrong for the Education Department to pay conservative columnist Armstrong Williams to tout its policies. He said viewers should be alerted when the government provides a video news release to broadcasters.

On China, Bush said he hoped its government would adopt a more flexible currency to help with the trade deficit. "On human rights, we expect China to be a society that welcomes all religions. When it comes to foreign policy, we expect China to cooperate in the war on terror," he said.

Asked if he thought House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, has become a liability because of the controversies surrounding him, Bush said, "He's been a very effective leader. I'm looking forward to working with him."