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by xviia 3666 days ago
Good thing everyone has been so honest about data capture of Americans ...

“What I can say unequivocally is that if you are a U.S. person, the NSA cannot listen to your telephone calls and the NSA cannot target your e-mails.” President Obama, June 16, 2013, on the Charlie Rose Show

During a March 12, 2013, Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden asked DNI Clapper if the NSA collected any type of data on millions of Americans. Clapper said: “No, sir.”

“We don’t hold data on U.S. citizens.” DNI Clapper speaking at the American Enterprise Institute on July 9, 2012

“Provides the government the same authority in national security investigations to obtain physical records that exits in an ordinary criminal case, through a grand jury subpoena.” Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein speaking on the Senate floor on May 22, 2011

1 comments

What is particularly bothersome about Obama is that he is very good at misleading with lying. He says "NSA cannot target your e-mails" when he knows that NSA is actively collecting emails, but not by specifically targeting.
I'm sure his staff are the ones that come up with the exact wording, but he's definitely partly to blame.
Truly the most transparent administration in history.
Any examples of ones that were more transparent?
Many, I believe, even as quite the Obama-fan. Secret courts & laws is a pretty recent development, so is the reliance on controlled social media vs. uncontrollable media.

I just met George Packer (writer @Atlantic) who said the greatest failure of Obama may end up not dramatically downscaling the scope of the Oval office while he still had the chance. The office has grown so powerful it's a dangerous tool in the hands of anyone less benevolent than the current officeholder.

Any of them from the past few decades. Obama's administration has made secret courts and laws more common than ever before while prosecuting a record number of whistleblowers.
He didn't lie. He deflected by using "targeting" and he was right.
It would be great if this conversation didn't decay into a semantic argument about the definition of lying.