Friday, May 12, 2006
Can You Hear Me Now?
As USA Today reported the other day, it turns out the NSA has been gathering phone records of millions of Americans, as a means to combat terrorism. President Bush didn't confirm or deny the story, just saying that the administration wasn't looking at personal information and, of course, adding that it's all perfectly legal. While something might be legal, does that make it right? There are many legal activities folks engage in that others find objectible, and wish to put a stop to. So I'm wondering how many right-wing nutters will embrace the Bush administration's activities when it comes to surveillance of American citizens? Some Republicans are speaking out about the report from USA Today, such as Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the Senate Finance Committee chairman, who said, of the phone companies turning over customer phone numbers to the government, "Why are the telephone companies not protecting their customers? They have a social responsibility to people who do business with them to protect our privacy as long as there isn't some suspicion that we're a terrorist or a criminal or something."
I suppose, in the eyes of the Bush administration, we're all suspects. Doesn't that give you a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside?
In other news, the latest Harris Interactive Poll has Bush with his lowest approval rating ever, down to just 29%. 69% of those polled said that things in the country have gotten "seriously off the right track."
Soon, Richard Nixon will be more popular a president than George W. Bush. A recent Gallup poll also showed that Bush's support with Republicans was dropping. Which means Republicans might not get that "coattail" vote in November. Coattailing is a political science concept about voting patterns, meaning supporters of the President will vote for candidates based solely on the criteria that the people they vote for are in the same political party as the President. If I were a Republican, I would really be shying away from Bush's coattails, what with his failure to get Social Security reform passed or his support for an amnesty program for illegal immigrants. Why do Republicans support Bush, anyway? He's not fiscally conservative. It's a real mystery. But potentially good news for Democrats come November.
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As USA Today reported the other day, it turns out the NSA has been gathering phone records of millions of Americans, as a means to combat terrorism. President Bush didn't confirm or deny the story, just saying that the administration wasn't looking at personal information and, of course, adding that it's all perfectly legal. While something might be legal, does that make it right? There are many legal activities folks engage in that others find objectible, and wish to put a stop to. So I'm wondering how many right-wing nutters will embrace the Bush administration's activities when it comes to surveillance of American citizens? Some Republicans are speaking out about the report from USA Today, such as Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the Senate Finance Committee chairman, who said, of the phone companies turning over customer phone numbers to the government, "Why are the telephone companies not protecting their customers? They have a social responsibility to people who do business with them to protect our privacy as long as there isn't some suspicion that we're a terrorist or a criminal or something."
I suppose, in the eyes of the Bush administration, we're all suspects. Doesn't that give you a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside?
In other news, the latest Harris Interactive Poll has Bush with his lowest approval rating ever, down to just 29%. 69% of those polled said that things in the country have gotten "seriously off the right track."
Soon, Richard Nixon will be more popular a president than George W. Bush. A recent Gallup poll also showed that Bush's support with Republicans was dropping. Which means Republicans might not get that "coattail" vote in November. Coattailing is a political science concept about voting patterns, meaning supporters of the President will vote for candidates based solely on the criteria that the people they vote for are in the same political party as the President. If I were a Republican, I would really be shying away from Bush's coattails, what with his failure to get Social Security reform passed or his support for an amnesty program for illegal immigrants. Why do Republicans support Bush, anyway? He's not fiscally conservative. It's a real mystery. But potentially good news for Democrats come November.
