Decision ‘08

The Left Fights Back…

…on that Rasmussen poll I quoted yesterday showing 64% support for NSA interception of calls between people in the U.S. and suspected terrorists overseas. The most common objection, and it’s one made by my own readers, is that the words ‘warrantless’ are left out. AMERICAblog says it’s an abysmally low number for the question as written, while Ezra Klein suggests alternate wording:

There is a question that needs to be asked, though, and it’s answer would be illuminating. And despite what the rightwing spinmeisters are trying to argue, it’s the only question in this case:

“Should the National Security Agency be allowed to secretly spy on Americans without any oversight?”

Or, alternately:

“Do you believe the NSA should be able to listen in on your phone calls and read your e-mails without oversight, probable cause, or a warrant?”

It’s a legitimate point, but as I stated in the comments below, I don’t think the wording would change the numbers that much (unless you totally tilted the question to the other side as Klein suggests above). How about this for a question:

“Do you support the use of electronic data-mining techniques to flag certain conversations between U.S. citizens and suspected overseas terrorists for further review by national security personnel, even in the absence of warrants or other judicial oversight?”

It’s wordy, but it addresses the real issue here…

8 Responses to “The Left Fights Back…”

1 too many steves Says:
December 29th, 2005 at 8:30 am
And let’s not forget the context of the WOT because the question is one of balancing rights and security not whether warrantless surveilance is always right or always wrong. Is it okay to do now under these circumstances. I suspect most people would answer ‘yes’.
2 Fargus Says:
December 29th, 2005 at 8:56 am
Well, the standard right-wing response I’ve seen to polls that they don’t like is to parse the phrasing, call the polls and the pollsters biased, and then ignore it all. Does that strategy only apply on the one side?
3 Mark Says:
December 29th, 2005 at 9:22 am
Fargus, when you think about it, it goes to show that almost all polling that doesn’t ask for set answers with clear questions (such as which of the following candidates will you vote for) is a bit suspect, isn’t it? Wording means so much so often…
4 Colin Says:
December 29th, 2005 at 10:43 am
Um…When was it decided definitively whether the evasedropping was illegal? I don’t remember the issue being adjuticated. I do remember reading some very persuasive columns on the legality of the NSA’s efforts. I do remember seeing cases cited in support of the evasedropping. Calling it illegal at this point would just be wrong.

On another related subject, I am constantly angered almost to the point of being physically ill by the constant refrences to the NSA in national news stories. It is the most secretive intelligence operation in the United States. We SHOULD NOT know what they are doing. The very fact that the program that we’re talking about is an NSA program that no one should know about is the 800-lb gorilla in the middle of the room no on is talking about.
5 Mark Says:
December 29th, 2005 at 10:46 am
Colin, I agree that it’s not a closed question on the legality of the program. I’ve seen good arguments from both sides…I do feel it SHOULD be legal, though, in limited circumstances, and I want the ‘questionability’ to be addressed legislatively to remove the gray areas…
6 Fred Says:
December 29th, 2005 at 1:53 pm
If Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were right that warrantless searches in foreign intelligence cases derives directly from their constitutional powers as command-in-chief then no legislative actions can influence it. Only an amendment or the supreme court can effect the constitution.
7 Decision ‘08 » Blog Archive » Skepticism on ‘Warrantless’ Poll Unwarranted? Says:
December 29th, 2005 at 2:32 pm
[…] All kinds of good stuff continues to come out from both sides of the aisle on the Rasmussen poll we’ve discussed previously. Here are a couple of good ones from opposite sides of the aisle:Jeff Goldstein has a lengthy post up examining some of the assumptions behind the questioning of the poll’s wording; Glenn Greenwald finds it to be “[o]ne of the most absurdly formulated polls ever”. […]
8 Decision ‘08 » Blog Archive » NSA Eavesdropping of Dubious Legality, Says Congressional Research Service Says:
January 7th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
[…] So the Post’s headline, instead of reading, “Report Rebuts Bush on Spying,” should have said, “Report Expresses Uncertainty on Spying.” In related news, I’m sure you recall the Rasmussen Poll recently that got so much attention, and had the left crying foul because it didn’t say the magic word ‘warrantless’. Well, score one for the left - a new AP/Ipsos poll includes the magic word, and it shows a slim majority who oppose the idea of warrantless eavesdropping: 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. […]