Republicans like Ron Paul are strongly against such behavior. The fully corporatized Democrats and Republicans alike are Just as guilty of the things you assert are Republican.
The Mike Gravels and Dennis Kuciniches of your favored party are few and far between, but respectably hostile to such things.
The Ideological basis of Classical Liberalism, which is what the "good" Republicans subscribe to, is quite opposed to a large spying intervening government.
Most modern Neo-Liberals/Democrats I have the pleasure to listen to have a very ad-hoc/inconsistent feeling about government wiretapping and other sorts of police-state tactics used by government. If some "good"(protect the children/minority/[fill in your blank]) comes of it then they seem to be fine with all sorts of interventionist and police-state action. "Good" in this case seems to be when a Democrat is running or providing "Oversight" to the abusive action, "Evil" when a Republican does the same.
Branches of government are full of rent-seeking opportunists with both R's and D's before their names, it is disingenuous of you to assert that it is wholly worthy to blame Republicans alone for this disgusting and wholly unconservative President and Administration.
Nixon was not a true conservative either. Kissinger was a proto-neocon. And Hillary Clinton worked on one of Nixons election campaigns, before she became a Democrat, there you go.