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I believe the American people have a genuine and justifiable fear of government intrusion in what they instinctively know is going to be an ever more intrusive world.

The problem is that the American public is suspicious of executive power shrouded in secrecy. In the absence of an official picture of what our government is doing, and by what authority, many in the public fill the void by envisioning the worst.

America is in a state of somnolence. It's an avoidance of paranoia through ignoring reality.

Many Americans, we know, are horrified by the posture of their government but seem to be helpless.

The government must give proper weight to both keeping America safe from terrorists and protecting Americans' privacy. But when Americans lack the most basic information about our domestic surveillance programs, they have no way of knowing whether we're getting that balance right. This lack of transparency is a big problem.

Americans need never fear their government because of the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation.

There's a deep-seated paranoia that Americans have about not being Americans or something.

There are only two occasions when Americans respect privacy, especially in Presidents. Those are prayer and fishing.

The American people fear there is some gouging going on.

The American people want to have trust in their leaders.