Uncle Sam Watching You?

Government wiretapping and monitoring of data from banks, Internet providers and phone companies have reportedly risen sharply in the past few years, while the number of prosecutions based on that potential evidence has declined. Supporters of both strategies as tactics to fight terrorism tell the Los Angeles Times that prosecutions aren't the only way to measure success. Others continue to voice civil rights concerns as the Bush administration seeks to expand the amount of surveillance that can be done without prior court approval.

Public Agenda's Spring 2008 Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index found 57 percent of participants, asked about a dozen national security strategies, said improving the effectiveness of U.S. intelligence operations would boost national security "a great deal." The only such policy that had more support was reducing dependence on foreign energy. Asked instead whether giving the government more power to investigate - even at the cost of giving up some privacy - would enhance national security, 30 percent said it would help "a great deal" and 29 percent said "not at all."