Posted on 10/28/2013 9:15:51 PM PDT by lbryce
President Obama is poised to order the National Security Agency to stop eavesdropping on the leaders of American allies, administration and Congressional officials said Monday, responding to a deepening diplomatic crisis over reports that the agency had for years targeted the cellphone of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.
The White House informed a leading Democratic lawmaker, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, of its plans, which grew out of a broader internal review of intelligence-gathering methods, prompted by the leak of N.S.A. documents by a former contractor, Edward J. Snowden.
In a statement on Monday, Ms. Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, “I do not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers.” Ms. Feinstein, who has been a stalwart defender of the administration’s surveillance policies, said her committee would begin a “major review of all intelligence collection programs.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
It points out the utter sense of insecurity, lack of anything he himself believes him to watch as he flounders like some sea creature on the deck of a fishing trawler.
Having him "consider" banning such activity for allied nations as a result of a deepening diplomatic crisis,there doesn't seem to be the same sort of moral conflict regarding the surveillance, spying on American citizens.
Shouldn't Americans be privy to the same sort of privilege as that of foreign countries' heads of state?
Always pulling the wrong conclusion from any incident. Amazing!
No one will believe that
But, Obama does not know who our allies are.
or pretend to ban it.
No one can make this stuff up! Hillaryous!
He should maybe make it illegal to smuggle machine-guns to narco kingpins...?
“But, Obama does not know who our allies are.”
Oh sure he does. Iran, North Korea and Venezuela are just a few.
He’ll redouble his efforts with American citizens instead.
Just as was the case with the Obamacare rollout, Obama is more angry and upset about this than anyone else. He will make sure that it is corrected and these damned bureaucrats are reined in.
Yea, like there is any semblance of credibility there.
He can ban it all day long if he wants. That ends with the election of another President. Congress can’t even pass a law against it and have it upheld. So who cares, it’s just another liberal Platitude.
He should make it illegal to use the IRS as a partisan bludgeoning tool before a tight election.
Yeah.
So when he said the spies were Mossad, he was lying?
If he’s spinning much faster now, he’ll fly away. To Iran.
If you're referring to my comments, I wholeheartedly welcome having you regale me, us in, the profound insight and analysis you say is sorely lacking.
He should make it illegal to stand in front of a polling station in combat boots, slapping a trucheon into a gloved fist.
Mmm-hmm.
“He’ll redouble his efforts with American citizens instead.”
yeah, funny how he didn’t say he would end spying on his own citizens when the snowden story first broke.
The question is, just who does obama and company consider "friendly" and who do they consider "not friendly."
As a law abiding citizen I'd like the same consideration as friendly foreign heads of state: don't spy on me! I don't have anything to hide, but the lack of trust it suggests is insulting. There's also the 4th Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
You need to lighten up, Francis. I was referring to Mr. Obama.
I hope these same nations have been spying on him. Turnabout is fair play.
Wait. ‘MAY ban...’?
If this were Bush, Left would demand Impeachment - “Now!”
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