The US Government has been intercepting every phone call, email, fax, and radio signal for over a decade. For those with a ten day attention span this was called operation Echelon, it involved the US and Britain, and it dates back to at least Bush 1.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/503224.stm
Democrats and Republicans have known perfectly well that this was going on since at least 92. It seems to me like the only reason they're publicly discussing this now is to get us used to the removal of our constitutional and human rights. They're fueling the rights vs. safety "debate" and most of the cowardly US population is eating it right up because they're affraid of their own shadows.
"Sure Mr. Bush, come take my husband away in the middle of the night with no record of his arrest and no chance of me ever seeing him again because he read the wrong book or website. As long as you tell me I'll be safe from the boogyman."