We are intercepting conversations that contain key words from terrorist sources. There are criminal penalties for misuse. I want a minimum of intrusion by the government on our lives, but if a terrorist source uses the words explosives, mass carnage, or nuclear, I want someone in the law enforcement system to know about it and do something about it.
He should contrast himself to the POTUS wannabe senators from the other side of aisle's inability to make a national defense decision when they have months to study the situation - what are they going to do when they only have minutes?
The blind support I see from so many for this program really makes me wonder if anyone really believes in free speech, federalism and limited government, or if they want that only when the opposition is in power.
If this country wants to be serious about stopping terrorism, we already know what needs to be done, and tapping the communications of US citizens is not among those things. Until they take on the issues of energy independence and the Saudi export of jihadist philosophy, as well as establishing actual operational control over our own border, this War on Terror is and will always be a fraud.
As far as 'criminal penalties', I have a real hard time taking that seriously in light of the constant stream of cases in which an agent of the government gets away scot-free with acts that would put any citizen in jail for a long time.