NSA…USA…F**K Yeah

A majority of Americans initially support a controversial National Security Agency program to collect information on telephone calls made in the United States in an effort to identify and investigate potential terrorist threats, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The new survey found that 63 percent of Americans said they found the NSA program to be an acceptable way to investigate terrorism, including 44 percent who strongly endorsed the effort. Another 35 percent said the program was unacceptable, which included 24 percent who strongly objected to it.
washington post

This is not a terrifically surprising result. First, I suspect most Americans would have assumed that the NSA was doing this and had been doing it for years. Second, the vast majority of Americans are willing to accept minor infringments of their privacy to decrease the chances of another 9/11.

However, I think Bush has underestimated his support on this issue. Yesterday he spent time trying to reassure Americans that the NSA program was not actually listening to their phone calls. I suppose this was necessary but I think a lot of Americans would have responded better to Bush saying:

“We are at war. We have enemies who have infiltrated the United States and it is my duty as your President to find these terrorists and stop them.

To do that I have authorized the NSA to look at the calling records of all Americans. We are looking for patterns which might help us identify terrorists in America. That is all we are looking for.

Now this program which, I can tell you has been a valuable tool in our fight against terrorism, has been compromised for political advantage.

As your President I have directed the Justice Department to find out who has compromised this top secret program and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.

Serving officers have a choice: they can obey their secrecy oaths and continue to serve or they can obey their secrecy oaths and resign. There are channels through which claims of illegality can be raised by serving officers. The press is not one of them. They do not have the right to renounce their oaths.”

That single speech would be worth 10 points in the polls and would serve notice to the leakers that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

Written by jay on May 13th, 2006 with 3 comments.
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