I'm no dictator, Bush insists

The disclosure of a top-secret US domestic spying programme has ignited a furious debate about presidential authority, civil liberties and whether President George Bush is acting above the law.

"Do I have the legal authority to do this? And the answer is, absolutely," Bush insisted on Monday. But plenty of people, who contend the spying operation ignores both US law and the Constitution itself, are disagreeing with his conclusion.