(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many Americans are dissatisfied with the way their current government has handled two issues, according to a poll by Harris Interactive. 59 per cent of respondents have a negative view of the way the current administration has fought terrorism, and 57 per cent are dissatisfied with how it has protected civil liberties.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many Americans are dissatisfied with the way their current government has handled two issues, according to a poll by Harris Interactive. 59 per cent of respondents have a negative view of the way the current administration has fought terrorism, and 57 per cent are dissatisfied with how it has protected civil liberties.
George W. Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election.
In 2004, a series of pictures depicting the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers appeared in several information sources. A classified U.S. Army report states that some soldiers committed "numerous incidents of criminal abuses" and "grave breaches of international law" at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.
In May 2005, a 308-page report by Amnesty International criticized the U.S. government for its handling of prisoners in several detention centres, including one at Guantanamo Bay where about 400 "enemy combatants"—most of them from Afghanistan—are being held. Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have urged the federal administration to close the prison.
In December 2005, Bush defended a secret domestic electronic surveillance program that includes the wiretapping of the telephone calls and e-mails of Americans suspected of having terrorist ties. The president’s remarks came in response to media reports that, since 2002, Bush has authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to operate this program without any judicial oversight.
Last August, the Protect America Act of 2007 was passed by the U.S. Congress. On Dec. 4, Bush urged lawmakers to re-authorize the law, saying, "The legislation Congress approved early this year to make sure our intelligence professionals can continue to effectively monitor terrorist communications is set to expire in February. Allowing this law to lapse would open gaps in our intelligence and increase the danger to our country. Our intelligence professionals need these tools to keep our people safe, and they need Congress to ensure that these tools are not taken away."
Polling Data
How would you rate that the Bush administration has done…
|
Fighting |
Protecting |
|
|
Positive |
38% |
33% |
|
Negative |
59% |
57% |
|
Not sure |
4% |
9% |
Source: Harris Interactive
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,335 American adults, conducted from Dec. 4 to Dec. 12, 2007. No margin of error was provided.
