ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: U.S. President Barack Obama tried to strike a middle ground on Friday on questions about broad surveillance practices conducted by the National Security Agency, saying "there may be another way of skinning the cat."
At a White House news conference, Obama said he would spend the next few weeks sorting through the recommendations of a presidential advisory panel on how to rein in the National Security Agency in the wake of disclosures from former U.S. spy contractor Edward Snowden.
"In light of the disclosures that have taken place, it is clear that whatever benefits of the configuration that this particular program may have may be outweighed by the concerns that people have on its potential abuse, " he said. "And if that's the case there may be another way of skinning the cat."
