NSA Officials Admit: 'We're Screwed Now' After Feinstein's Statement
from the maybe-shouldn't-have-pushed-the-limits-so-much dept
While we're a bit cynical about the reasoning behind Senator Dianne Feinstein's sudden "conversion" to realizing that perhaps the NSA is out of control with its spying, and needs greater oversight and control, apparently her statement sent chills through officials at the NSA. After all, Feinstein was the strongest Senate defender of the NSA's activities -- to the point that we'd suggested in the past a somewhat co-dependent relationship. However, it sounds like she just turned on the NSA and has suggested that perhaps it needs to go to rehab. Shane Harris and John Hudson at Foreign Policy's The Cable blog have the details:"We're really screwed now," one NSA official told The Cable. "You know things are bad when the few friends you've got disappear without a trace in the dead of night and leave no forwarding address."Of course, that's the sort of crazy hyperbole that the NSA is increasingly known for. Feinstein hasn't "disappeared." She's just finally pointed out what many of the rest of us have been arguing for ages: that the NSA is out of control, going way beyond what it's authorized to do, and has little real oversight, in part because of its regular practice of misleading pretty much everyone over the details and extent of its surveillance programs.
Even more important, the statement from that NSA official shows that they still don't recognize what got them into this mess. If the NSA had actually been upfront about what it was doing with others, perhaps it wouldn't find itself in this mess today. It makes you wonder if the NSA is so focused on being super secret about its operations to the outside world that it couldn't distinguish enough about being transparent to government oversight bodies as well.
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Filed Under: dianne feinstein, nsa, nsa surveillance, oversight
Reader Comments
The First Word
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/sarc
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She's just trying to save face and minimize any oversight the rest of congress is throwing at her.
This woman blatantly violated the US Constitution, her oath of office, and the American people. It's time for her to face charges as far as I'm concerned.
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Words versus deeds
Compare with Marcy Wheeler's observation today over at Emptywheel, �One Day after Rolling Out �Comprehensive Review,� Feinstein Proceeds with Mark-Up Anyway�:
No, when the new legislation to codify current practice precedes the �comprehensive review�, you know there are just different priorities at work.
Words versus deeds. Which speak louder?
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Re: Words versus deeds
So what if she's going to stop writing op-eds for the NSA. If she's still pushing to legalize what they are doing, then all her talk means nothing.
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Re: Words versus deeds
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Re: Words versus deeds
'Surveillance is for the little fish. If your spying on Merkel your probably spying on me. I'm a big fish not a little fish D***it!!!'
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Oh, no! It's the end of the Surveillance State!
You keep running these bits of fluff as if serious.
The NSA is NOT in a "mess". Complete lie, with clear purpose of mollifying the public.
"If the NSA had actually been upfront about what it was doing with others," -- TWO major items wrong. "Upfront" is impossible because goal of the NSA is total surveillance over at least every person in the US. (Yeah, there's "terrorists" for excuse; my point is that's near total lie.) -- 2nd, "with others"??? Clearly, meaning other Senators, which still leaves We The People out (for reasons above).
In fact, Feinstein has NOT reversed at all; she's an ardent supporter of the surveillance state. This is at most yet another PR item to try and persuade the public that NSA is in "a mess". Wish you'd quit publishing such obvious CRAP; doing so can only show you're either not exactly on OUR side, or such a wimp as no help at all.
What your editorial "we" needs say is they're ALL in cahoots and lying, so indict, try, and JAIL.
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Re: Oh, no! It's the end of the Surveillance State!
Hammer -> Nail ---- Whack!!!
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Re: Oh, no! It's the end of the Surveillance State!
The NSA is the world's largest and most powerful espionage agency. Why the fuck would they be afraid? It's just propaganda.
They have near limitless power. The only way to put some fear into them is to dismantle them and put the ones responsible in jail.
Of course, that ain't gonna happen. Politicians will be singing a different tune once a man in a dark suit pulls them to the side and shows them a sample of the dirt they have on him/her and tells them "how awful it would be if this leaked to the media".
Either that, or the NSA will be dismantled in name only. That is, the agency NSA will dissapear, but its mission will continue to be carried on by some other agency.
The NSA isn't going anywhere. Not with the kind of weak politicians the USA has in charge.
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Re: Re: Oh, no! It's the end of the Surveillance State!
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Re: Oh, no! It's the end of the Surveillance State!
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Not to be macabre but...
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Re: Not to be macabre but...
It's already in cinemas (and everywhere else).
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Do we have to start flying autonomous drones with built in imsi catchers over the NSA's building so they get the message. Could be fun.
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Ask the American electorate, m'kay?
Odds are, the incumbents will continue be re-elected. �� Overwhelming odds are.
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Terminology
I thought this was referred to as "extraordinary rendition"?
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Re: Terminology
Knock-knock.
����� Who's there?
Secret police.
����� Secret police who?
Comrade, we ask the questions!
�
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Feinstein has done NOTHING but HELP them so far, which is a big hint that this idea of "fighting against NSA" - so they don't spy on foreign allies' LEADERS, is just a ploy.
They want people to think they won't be spying on "allies" anymore, when in fact they may only give up spying on their allies ministers and prime-ministers - and that's about it. Everyone else in those countries will still be fair game.
"Ordinary citizens" (as NSA likes to call them), CEO's, judges, maybe even other non-executive politicians, will still be targets. But the NSA wants everyone to believe that "we've won", by compromising on not spying on the executive governments.
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Misdirection
The problem that they face, and why things are so blatant, is that the groups actually trying to curtail the NSA are moving things along at what is, for politics at least, a relatively rapid pace. Usually there is a little more time between a revelation and a UN proposal, and they probably thought they had until the Patriot Act came up for renewal again in Congress.
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NSA
I don't agree with what was done, but telling people that you're going to review and store conversation is a bit dull don't you think?
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"friends"
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Given all the past acts of speech, misdirection, lying, and coverup, I suspect this is political theater. Something to point to when grilled by other nations that things are changing while they remain the same.
I do not trust these politicians to suddenly develop spine where they've shown no previous possession of such. I will wait to see what is done as the words in the past have proven hollow.
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Mandingo Style
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Not screwed enough
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one NSA official told The Cable
what's this official's name, what's his position, what's his duties.
Again, just another excuse to mention NSA in the title, more white noise for us to ignore.
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Re: one NSA official told The Cable
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NSA
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