NSA Phone tapping- is this really a new problem?

I was watching the View yesterday and Elizabeth was on a rant about her civil liberties being violated by the Obama administration and she hit a nerve.  First of all-  I believe the whole checking telephone records and emails started after 911 with a little something passed by Congress called the Patriot act. 

I have never been a fan of the Patriot act.  That law did remove our civil liberties.  Elizabeth that law was passed and acted upon first during your man Bush's administration.  Why was everything fine then, but when the Obama administration carries on the same exact policy- in order to "check on terrorist activity"- all of a sudden now you are worried about your civil liberties.

I have never been a fan of the Patriot Act.  In fact I worried because I had to look up the spelling of the chemical called ricin for my last blog and I didn't leave up the web page I viewed too long so as not to be identified as a possible "terrorist". 

I know that Elizabeth believes that she is the greatest Patriot on the view.  Elizabeth- this country was founded on freedom and I really believe that our forefathers would be very unhappy with the Patriot Act.  I think that President Obama has extended way too many of the bad Bush policies such as this in order to maintain the status quo.  But seriously- when you vacillate 360 degrees between the Bush and the Obama administration on the same point, the only difference left is the party behind the president and his race.