Polls & Research

Americans Assess Civil Liberties in Terror Fight

- Adults in the United States hold differing views on the way their federal government is dealing with terrorism, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 39 per cent of respondents think the Bush administration has gone too far in restricting people's civil liberties.

Conversely, 34 per cent of respondents say the government is acting in an adequate manner, and 25 per cent believe it has not gone far enough.

Last December, U.S. president George W. 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.

In May, USA Today reported that the NSA program includes a database with tens of millions of phone call records. Bush defended the activities, saying, "We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans. Our efforts are focused on links to al-Qaeda and their known affiliates. So far we've been very successful in preventing another attack on our soil."

On Oct. 28, Bush questioned the Democratic Party's position on the program, declaring, "When it came time to vote on whether the NSA should continue to monitor terrorist communications through the Terrorist Surveillance Program, almost 90 per cent of House Democrats voted against it. (...) In all these vital measures for fighting the war on terror, the Democrats in Washington follow a simple philosophy: Just say no."

American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.

Polling Data

Do you think the Bush administration has gone too far, has been about right or has not gone far enough in restricting people's civil liberties to fight terrorism?