Poll: Most Say U.S. Needs Warrant to Snoop

AP ^ | 1/7/5

[squidly]

A majority of Americans want the Bush administration to get court approval before eavesdropping on people inside the United States, even if those calls might involve suspected terrorists, an AP-Ipsos poll shows.

Over the past three weeks, President Bush and top aides have defended the electronic monitoring program they secretly launched shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, as a vital tool to protect the nation from al-Qaida and its affiliates.

Yet 56 percent of respondents in an AP-Ipsos poll said the government should be required to first get a court warrant to eavesdrop on the overseas calls and e-mails of U.S. citizens when those communications are believed to be tied to terrorism.

Agreeing with the White House, some 42 percent of those surveyed do not believe the court approval is necessary.

"We're at war," Bush said during a New Year's Day visit to San Antonio. "And as commander in chief, I've got to use the resources at my disposal, within the law, to protect the American people. ... It's a vital, necessary program."

According to the poll, age matters in how people view the monitoring. Nearly two-thirds of those between age 18 to 29 believe warrants should be required, while people 65 and older are evenly divided.

Party affiliation is a factor, too. Almost three-fourths of Democrats and one-third of Republicans want to require court warrants.

[pissant]

More AP bullsh*t. Just like the one from Will Lester earlier today.

[boomop1]

A dumb American poll as per usual.

[KC_Conspirator]

This is the same poll that sampled 12% more democrats. It was posted here last night. That poll smells, you got that.

[csmusaret]

Okay. The NSA intercepts a terrorist's phone call. After listening for a while they learn that the other person is in the US. At this point the Democrats say hang up and get a warrant. Pres. Bush says go ahead and listen. If we need to follow up on this person we can then ask for a warrant. I just don't see how this is illegal.

[xcamel]

Poll: Most Say U.S. Needs Warrant to Snoop... um no. This is the real headline:

Most Say U.S. Poll Dancers Need Warrants to Snoop

[madprof98]

I don't believe this for one minute. The only people who actually care about this (other than the terrorists, I presume) are left-wing lunatics and moonbats--and a handful of libertarian types like some of the cranky eccentrics who hang around here.

[DarthVader]

Rasmussen said 70% of Americans favored the wiretap. Who is more accurate and who are we going to believe. Not AP-Dipsos.

[68skylark]

I wish some pollster would ask people what they think about pro-terrorist reporters who spill national security secrets.

[Firefigher NC]

It's not.

[pissant]

The leftists scum have not given up. We will need to crush them severely.

[PISANO]

If this poll is accurate [it isn't IMO] then this nation just PLAIN doesn't understand that the time it takes to get a warrant guts the chance of getting any information also it shows just how uneducated the public is with Presidential powers in a time of war.

[Mr. Mojo]

A majority of Americans want the Bush administration to get court approval before eavesdropping on people inside the United States, even if those calls might involve suspected terrorists, an AP-Ipsos poll shows.

Assuming the poll is accurate, I strongly suspect the percentages would radically change a short while after a major terrorist attack on U.S. soil, when Americans seem far more likely to soberly assess the threat we face.

....but I strongly doubt this poll's accuracy.

[pissant]

[LucyT]

Clinton NSA Wiretapped Top Republican
Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 11:10 a.m. EST

"During the 1990's under President Bill Clinton, the National Security Agency conducted random telecommunications surveillance of millions of phone calls daily under a top secret program known as Echelon.

"But according to at least two people familiar with the spy operation at the time, some of the surveillance was far from indiscriminate.

"Until his retirement from the Senate in 2002, Thurmond was a frequent critic of the Clinton administration, who played a leading role in the 1998 impeachment drama - though there's no known connection to the decision to wiretap the South Carolina conservative."
---
"Clinton's had NSA "accidentally" use Eschelon to listen to Republicans."

"JFK wiretapped Martin Luther King
Clinton wiretapped Republicans
Bush wiretapped terrorist operatives

Who deserves impeachment?"
30 posted on 01/06/2006 10:47:00 AM MST by NavyCanDo
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1553101/posts

[lugsoul]

Nope. They don't say hang up and get a warrant. They say comply with FISA, and go get a warrant within 72 hours, but you can keep listening while you do so.

If you place the decision on who is deserving of being eavesdropped solely in the hands of the eavesdropper, you no longer have any protection against eavesdropping by your government.

[jveritas]

This poll has 52% democrats and 40% Republicans. Of course the 8% of independent are mostly from blue states and blue counties as the media usually pick these independents.

[Mo1]

According to the poll, age matters in how people view the monitoring. Nearly two-thirds of those between age 18 to 29 believe warrants should be required

How much you want to bet most are college students?

[Random Access]

Hypothetical... NSA is listening to a conversation with a terrorist in Iraq and one in Boston. They are plotting to destroy the American economy by kidnapping Ted Kennedy and putting several distilleries out of business. What do you do?

[Howie66]

Must be the results of one of those polls that count RATs three times to every one real American.