Polls bolster Bush on domestic spying

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/3586930.html

WHITE HOUSE WATCH
Polls bolster Bush on domestic spying
Position reversal on hearings could be linked to public ambivalence on wiretapping issue


WASHINGTON - In a noteworthy reversal, President Bush last week said he would welcome congressional hearings on whether he was legally in bounds to allow spying on Americans without obtaining search warrants first.

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As a rule, the White House does not invite congressional meddling on any subject. But Bush's about-face can be traced to at least two strategic considerations.

First, polls have shown that the public doesn't care all that much about the program, which permits domestic wiretapping of phone calls and e-mail without first obtaining a court order.

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Another key factor in Bush's thinking was the performance last week of prominent Democratic senators in Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination hearings.

In the days leading up to the hearings, White House spokesman Scott McClellan repeatedly issued warnings that Bush was expecting dignified proceedings.