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Surveillance wins backers after bush defends program Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
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Poll: Surveillance Wins Some More Backers
A New AP-Ipsos Poll Shows Bush Has Won Some Supporters for Warrantless Surveillance Program
By KATHERINE SHRADER
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON Feb 9, 2006 (AP)—
WASHINGTON - President Bush's campaign to convince Americans that the government's eavesdropping program is essential to the war on terrorism has made an impact: Last month people disapproved, 56 percent to 42 percent. Now it's basically 50-50.
Bush has been particularly successful at making his case to core supporters, including Republicans, white evangelicals and suburban men. Support in each category grew more than 10 percentage points in the last month.
The AP-Ipsos poll findings came as the White House relented and provided some new details to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees about the program. At Bush's direction, the National Security Agency has been monitoring communications between people overseas and in the U.S. when links to terrorism are suspected.
However, Senate Democrats left their three-hour session Thursday frustrated about the level of information they received from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Gen. Michael Hayden, the nation's No. 2 intelligence official.
"Where we really wanted hard information that was important to us to give us the size of the scope and the reach and the depth they were not forthcoming," said West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the intelligence panel's top Democrat. "And what that did was take good people who were willing ... to have an open mind about all of this, and push them the other direction."
The irritation stood in contrast to some Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee. That panel's top Democrat, Rep. Jane Harman of California, left a separate briefing on Wednesday cautiously saying she saw a thaw after weeks of White House insistence that it would not brief the congressional committees on the program's details. Under the initial plan, the briefing was only supposed to cover legal issues, but members said they also got some operational information.
It was unclear why the White House suddenly was willing to share more information with lawmakers. When asked what changed, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said: "Meaningful dialogue." He would not elaborate.
The debate over the program has turned intensely political in recent days. A growing cadre of Republicans has joined Democrats in raising fundamental questions about the program. Although the White House has argued the president has all the authority he needs to order the surveillance, calls for legislation have grown.
As part of an upcoming bill, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he wants the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to review the program and determine if it is constitutional.
Using a different approach, Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, said changes in U.S. law are necessary to give the White House the statutory authority it needs to conduct the monitoring and end the controversy.
Bush's spokesman Scott McClellan said the White House will listen to lawmakers' ideas on legislation, but the president has indicated he would resist any move that would compromise the program. "There is a high bar to overcome on such ideas," McClellan said.
Some lawmakers see Roberts as key to any changes. He said the legislative work should be the jurisdiction of his committee, if "there is any necessity" for a bill. He was noncommittal about whether there would be future briefings on the program, saying, "We'll see."
The intelligence committee's Democrats and at least two Republicans have called for inquiries into the program. Thursday's session "doesn't excuse the need for genuine accountability," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a committee member.
Two senators are looking outside the Bush administration for information. Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Russ Feingold, D-Wis., wrote a letter Thursday to the major telecommunications companies AT&T Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc. asking if they have cooperated with the government monitoring.
As congressional debate continues, public support for the program has grown with the White House's monthlong campaign of speeches and TV appearances to make its case that the monitoring is necessary. According to the AP-Ipsos poll, some 48 percent of Americans now support the administration's program. That's up from 42 percent last month.
Half now say the administration should have to get a warrant to conduct eavesdropping, down from 56 percent one month ago. Support for the program grew by 9 percentage points among men, but it dropped 8 points to 30 percent in the Northeast.
Some noteworthy trends from Bush's political base:
Fifty-eight percent of suburban men support the program, up 13 percentage points.
Fifty-six percent of Southerners support the program, up 12 points.
Republican support for the program jumped 14 points to 82 percent. Independent support is up 17 points, to 53 percent.
White evangelical support grew by 11 points, to 71 percent.
Associated Press writer Elizabeth White contributed to this report.
On the Net:
Ipsos: http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com
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