Flashback: Lindsey Graham: Hey, I’m “glad” the NSA is collecting Americans’ phone records

hotair.com ^ | 6/6/13

[cotton1706]

“I’m a Verizon customer. I don’t mind Verizon turning over records to the government if the government is going to make sure that they try to match up a known terrorist phone with somebody in the United States. I don’t think you’re talking to the terrorists. I know you’re not. I know I’m not. So we don’t have anything to worry about.”

That’s the eternal rationale for the surveillance state: If you’re not doing anything wrong, you should have no objection. What happens when the definition of “wrong” changes after your information’s been collected? Why would any Republican make this argument right now, when Congress is busy investigating the government’s tax-collection agency for deciding something was “wrong” with the idea of tea partiers applying for nonprofit status?

If you’re going to defend Obama’s phone dragnet — which, incredibly, is even broader than Bush’s — do it at least with due reluctance. Pretend that you care about the privacy interests here, even if you don’t. “With a heavy heart, I must endorse this necessary evil in an age of terror” etc etc. Graham won’t even give the viewer that; he’s perfectly okay with this in the name of jihadi-hunting even though he’s one of the loudest voices in the Senate in accusing the White House of covering up what happened in Benghazi. He doesn’t trust Obama on national security — except when it comes to rounding up millions of innocent people’s phone records, in which case he trusts him absolutely. Between this, his doubts about First Amendment protection for bloggers in publishing leaks, and his militaristic view of whether Koran-burning should be legal, there’s no one worse on civil liberties in either party in Congress. He and McCain are inadvertently doing more to promote Rand Paul than Paul himself is.

[silverleaf]

yeah, how about if you’re talking to the Koch brothers? Nothing to worry about .. the IRS, Harry Reid and the democrat party will never get that information - right?

[rsobin]

Typical groupthink: punish everybody for the crimes of a few. It is prevalent in government. Like the 2nd grade teacher punishing the whole class when little Johnny puts a frog in her desk. This is how the Rulers feel about us.

[Resettozero]

REGARDING PRIMARY RACE FOR REPUBLICAN NOMINATION SENIOR U.S. SENATOR FROM SOUTH CAROLINA:

All challengers and the Incumbent are scheduled to appear on SCETV main channel in HD at 7PM this evening (Saturday) and an SD playback of the hour-long presentation on SCETV third channel at 8PM this evening, June 7, 2014.

Internet streaming may be available here:

http://scetv.org/index.php/etv_learn_blog/entry/etv_election_central—series_of_televised_debates_with_streaming_video/

Potentially live but definately recorded streaming should be available here later:

http://www.scetv.org/electionblog/

[jayrunner]

It’s way past time for another amendment. This one would test for senility in the US Senate. Make it mandatory after age 70. First to be test include: Feinstein, Boxer, McCain, Lindsay G. Include Biden.