Americans are sharply divided along partisan lines over the legality of the Bush administration's warrantless domestic eavesdropping program, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll has revealed.

According to the results published in Wednesday's Washington Post, 51 percent of those surveyed said they think the eavesdropping program is an acceptable way to fight terrorism while 47 percent said it is not.

However, the findings reflect sharp partisan divisions. Among Republicans, 75 percent said the program is acceptable while with Democrats, 61 percent said it is unacceptable.

Republicans overwhelmingly favored aggressive investigation, with more than four in five saying that is their preference.

Meanwhile, Democrats were split 51 percent to 47 percent on which should take precedence -- to investigate possible terrorist threats or to protect civil liberties.

Overall, two in three of those surveyed said the former is more important.

Last month, the U.S. media revealed that after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush secretly authorized a program that overrode requirements that the government should seek court warrants before listening in on overseas telephone conversations or reading U.S. citizens' e-mails.

Critics have accused the Bush administration of breaking the law in pursuing the domestic spying program, but the president has repeatedly defended it, saying that it is necessary and lawful to protect Americans.

U.S. Congress has signaled its intention to hold hearings to probe the program.

Source: Xinhua