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by freyr 4758 days ago
I agree it's a complex problem, but there's a middle ground between "doing nothing" and this.

And maybe even the NSA's work is in our best interests (and maybe not), but it seems disingenuous and perhaps flat-out wrong for the president to have campaigned on this specific issue, and do the exact opposite.
1 comments
pkfrank 4758 days ago
Unless I'm mistaken, I believe President Obama has "merely" continued the Bush-era policies and programs. Maybe they've extended, but that's because the initatives have matured and the technology has improved.

To build from the original comment: What if President Obama had ceased these programs, and a (preventable) terrorist attack occurred, that otherwise could have been stopped.

Playing devil's advocate, somewhat, but there indeed lies the rub.

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eplanit 4758 days ago
It's far past the time when Obama's apologists make references and comparisons to Bush. On the one hand we hear things to contrast him from Bush -- now it's that he's no worse or different than Bush.

I'm curious what the phrase "initatives have matured and the technology has improved" means. More comprehensive spying? Quicker retrieval? Increased complicity by firms accumulating personal data?

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joering2 4758 days ago
> To build from the original comment: What if President Obama had ceased these programs, and a (preventable) terrorist attack occurred, that otherwise could have been stopped.

Glad they stopped the bombing that would otherwise occurred in Boston during Boston marathon! You may have not heard because government does not like to say they did a good job, but thanks to spying on all americans they stopped that plot made by 2 Chechnyas to kill 3 Americans and amputate legs of 20 others by using bombs in pressure cookers. Good job, well done. Power to the government!

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twoodfin 4758 days ago
The job of President is almost certainly one of those things that you don't fully understand until you have to do it, but Candidate Obama probably should have been a little more circumspect in his rhetoric.

Especially when he'd already had to decide (rightly, IMHO) to support telecom immunity for "warrantless wiretapping" as a Senator.

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freyr 4758 days ago
From the article:

> For one thing, under an Obama presidency, Americans will be able to leave behind the era of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and "wiretaps without warrants," he said.

As I said, regardless of whether wiretaps are justified, why did he choose to campaign on this issue? Why bother making these claims to the American public?

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