It has been argued that there is too much potential for abuse of innocent average citizens' constitutional rights in the administration's pro-active policy of monitoring international phone and e-mail activity.  That these tactics have had a major disruptive effect on terrorists and their financial supporters is diminished by rhetoric that paints the practice as being tantamount to the President spying on all of us to gain the upper hand on his political enemies.

Your own personal "average citizen's" opinion on this subject may boil down to how you answer one simple question:  Do you have anything to hide?

While the vast majority of us answer the question with a quick, resounding NO, those who make their living in public-eye professions -- especially politicians, media and entertainment industry types -- tend to protest loud and long over the abridgement of their rights.  Curiously, the perceived-to-be non-partisan airport screenings and building security checks that these same frequent fliers face daily rarely prompt so much as a whimper.

This is somewhat understandable because people in the public eye have so many innocent personal, phone and e-mail contacts with folks who are sometimes found, later, not to be so innocent.  However, the converse is all-too-often true, particularly with our elected officials.

For every Al Gore and Hillary Clinton who has "unknowingly" posed for a photo with a dirty major campaign supporter...for every Barney Frank, Gary Hart or Bill Clinton who becomes the subject of a "harmless" sex scandal there is a James Trafficant, Jim Guy Tucker or Alan Hevesi who has actually stolen or otherwise misappropriated public funds and/or abused the public trust.

The Spitzer scandal exemplifies how off-duty trysting could have a far more serious impact on public security beyond taxpayers' concern over the official's security, health and family life. Not only did the disgraced governor get caught with his pants down, he also risked blackmail -- or worse.  In this case, the prostitution ring he chose is alleged to have laundered funds via transfer to foreign accounts.  

It is reasonable to assume that the governor's illegal activity might never have been discovered had he not had a conversation with the escort service's "negotiator" while a federal wiretap was in progress.  But it is also reasonable for the feds to assume, in this dangerous post-9/11 era, that ill-gotten funds from entities like the Emperors Club might ultimately be channeled into the accounts of terrorists or other enemies of the United States.

Spitzer's record right up to the moment that his voice was recognized as Client 9 on a sordid wiretap recording was one that epitomized cleanliness and anti-criminal advocacy.  Eliot Spitzer could have been the poster boy for the Bush haters' campaign against eavesdropping instead of ending up as a living testimonial to the beneficial use of electronic eavesdropping and e-mail monitoring.

You can ask the Do you have anything to hide? question until you're blue in the face but the real answer won't be known unless you pro-actively seek it.  Make no mistake -- this is not about picking the lock on your teenager's diary or rummaging through your co-worker's desk drawer.

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