ThinkProgress: Only 56% of Americans Disapprove of Warrant-less Wiretaps

[AtomicKitten]

Well, this may be a majority, but it is an anemic number. What the hell is the matter with the American people?


New Poll Demonstrates Majority of Americans Disapprove of Bush’s Warrant-less Wiretapping
http://www.thinkprogress.org/

A little more than a week ago, the right-wingers heralded the results of a poll that they claimed showed a majority of Americans supporting Bush’s illegal warrant-less wiretapping policy. Here’s what that poll found:

"Sixty-four percent (64%) of Americans believe the National Security Agency (NSA) should be allowed to intercept telephone conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people living in the United States."

Michelle Malkin used the poll results to suggest “America Is OK With NSA.” Redstate and the National Review also celebrated the results.

But there was a big problem with the poll question — it failed to say that President Bush was conducting the wiretapping without a warrant.

Today, a new AP poll was released showing what Americans truly think of Bush’s policy:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060107/ap_on_go_pr_wh/eavesdropping_ap_poll

"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."

[EFerrari]

1. If Malkiin is using it, it must be cR@p. I'm in a liberal city

but it's hard to believe most people are ok with this.

[NewJeffCT]

2. I'm actually surprised it is 56%

I know many are bothered by it, but figured a majority wouldn't care, thinking, "hey, I've done nothing wrong, so I don't have to worry."

[billybob537]

3. If you read closely

"Sixty-four percent (64%) of Americans believe the National Security Agency (NSA) should be allowed to intercept telephone ....{conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people living in the United States." }

This is not what they did! If the had suspects they could have gotten warrants. You don't need warrants for suspects outside us territory at all. You only need warrants for the calls to or from US territory.
As usual their justification is all spin no fact.

[AtomicKitten]

4. as usual, their polls are skewed for a predictable result.

Still the AP poll doesn't produce much better results IMO.

[Vinnie From Indy]

5. IPSOS POLLING LIES FOR BUSHCO

The question asked by the latest IPSOS poll is pure crap. Take a look!

Should the Bush administration be required to get a warrant from a judge before monitoring phone and internet communications between American citizens in the United States and suspected terrorists, or should the government be allowed to monitor such communications without a warrant?

The question is nonsense and clearly designed to mislead. They offer the respondent a mythical either or scenario, fail to disclose that the warrants can be issued retroactively nor do they mention the current laws BEING IGNORED by the BushCo cabal. Those are just a few of the more obvious reasons this question is crap. Some of the more subtle aspects of this question concern the "pushing" of information rather than the "pulling". The question states as fact that the wire tapping is being conducted between terrorists originating outside the US. This is also crap.

[leesa]

6. Who cares what a poll shows...it's illegal.