poll results

I didn't know the American Bar Association was into polling but I find the
results very interesting and possibly the most accurate to date:

According to a poll commissioned by the American Bar Association and
released today, 52 percent of respondents said that in the fight against
terrorism, the President of the United States alone cannot suspend
constitutional freedoms, with an additional 25 percent saying he must obtain
authorization by a court of law or Congress. Thus 77 percent of Americans
express deep reservations about the president’s secret surveillance program.

The telephone poll conducted by Harris Interactive® over the past weekend
found that only 18 percent of respondents believe the president can suspend
constitutional freedoms "anytime the President thinks it is necessary to
protect the country."

"While everyone agrees on the need for aggressive deterrence of
terrorism, the disclosure of unchecked domestic spying by the president is
deeply troubling to many Americans," said ABA President Michael S. Greco,
who released the poll results today in a news conference during the ABA’s
2006 Midyear Meeting in Chicago.

"Our Founders gave us a government that can act swiftly in times of
danger, but also protect our basic freedoms. It’s very encouraging that
Americans understand and insist on preserving that balance," he said.

According to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, people not only know about
the Jack Abramoff scandal but also feel it is a GOP problem and very serious.

• Most Americans say they're following news of the Abramoff scandal
closely, and 53% call it a major scandal. Just 9% see it as "not a serious
matter." (Related: Abramoff poll results)

• Corruption will be a voting issue in November, they say. Only the war
in Iraq, terrorism and health care are cited more often as "extremely
important" issues this year; 43% describe "corruption in government" that
way. In comparison, 38% call the economy an extremely important issue.

• Attitudes toward the Republican congressional leadership have soured.
By 50%-40%, those surveyed say the policies proposed by Republican leaders
in Congress would move the country in the wrong direction. That's by far the
worst showing since the GOP took control more than a decade ago.

• Attitudes toward Democrats are better, but not by much. Respondents
split 44%-43% when asked whether the policies proposed by Democratic leaders
would move the country in the right direction. By 44%-32%, those surveyed
say congressional Democrats would do a better job of dealing with the issue
of corruption.

For the first time since 1994, a plurality of Americans say most members
of Congress don't deserve re-election. The 42% who say most members do
deserve re-election is the same as in the first USA TODAY survey of 1994.

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