The only thing Rockefeller and fellow WV Senator nit-wit understand is spending other peoples money. They are VERY good at that.
Regardless, the Primary Function of our Government was from its inception was to Protect the US as a WHOLE.
We're talking electronic surveillance here. No one is knocking down doors. We're trying to counter terrorists.
Whoever wrote the Lincoln quote is a genious: "The Constitution is not a suicide pact".