The New USSR

We have a 20th century precedent for the type of spying that Bush is working to turn into a policy.

Before the Iron Curtain fell, the Soviet Union had amassed huge archives of information by spying on its citizens. That information was sold out on the black market and as a result, there was much mayhem. That information was often used by government workers who bought and sold bits of information to interested parties. It was a very common practice to use it to blackmail government officials, and private parties into committing crimes or paying up.

When the Iron Curtain fell, a lot of that information disappeared and there were many private executions.

This is the legacy that Bush wants to give the US.