By RICHARD W. STEVENSON and ERIC LIPTON

WASHINGTON, April 14 - President Bush said Thursday that he had been surprised to learn in the newspaper of his administration's decision last week to require Americans to have passports to enter the country from Mexico or Canada by 2008. He said he had asked the State and Homeland Security Departments to look into other means of tightening border security.

Citing concerns about the long lines that the new rules might create at crossings, Mr. Bush said that after reading of the change, he asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to determine whether the law that mandated the tighter controls would allow fingerprint imaging or some other technique instead.

A Surprised Bush Says He Wants New Travel Rules Reconsidered, continued