Earlier today, Barack Obama and Dick Cheney delivered major speeches on security policy. Obama’s was, I thought, deeply dishonest. I’ll have much more to say about this later. For now, though, this Rasmussen Survey is timely:
In the tension between individual rights and national security, 39% of voters nationwide now believe that our legal system worries too much about protecting individual rights. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 24% believe our legal system worries too much about national security and 25% say the balance is about right.
Moreover, the percentage that thinks our legal system worries too much about individual rights rather than national security is growing.
This question obviously frames the issue in an overly simplistic way, but it seems clear that the public is reacting negatively to the Obama administration’s constant emphasis on solicitude for terrorist detainees. Maybe that’s why Obama felt the speech he delivered today was necessary.
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