Hillary Clinton: All For Vague, Undefined Surveillance Reform, But Screw That Snowden Guy
from the because-that's-how-politics-work dept
Hillary Clinton is, of course, making her bigWell, I usually agree with my husband, but let me say on this point that there were many ways to start this conversation. And in fact, the conversation was starting. Members of Congress - a few notable examples like Senator Wyden and Senator Udall and others - were beginning to raise issues that it was time for us to take a hard look at all of the laws that have been passed and how they were implemented since 9/11.Of course, this is misleading to wrong. Lots of defenders of the President on surveillance like to point to his speech at the National Defense University a couple weeks before the first Snowden revelation, but that speech did not address the issues now being discussed at all. It mostly focuses on fighting overseas, and actually (a few times) praises the work of the intelligence community and how useful that's been. That was not starting any sort of real debate. As for Wyden and Udall -- they'd been making these points for years and having them virtually ignored by most, in both the press and among their colleagues (we wrote about it, but we don't count).
The president was addressing this. In fact, he had given a speech that basically made that point shortly before these disclosures were made. And of course, I think it's imperative that in our political system, in our society at large, we have these debates. So I welcome the conversation. But I think that he was not only an imperfect messenger, but he was a messenger who could have chosen other ways to raise the very specific issues about the impact on Americans. But that's not all he did.
There were other ways that Mr. Snowden could have expressed his concerns, by reaching out to some of the senators or other members of Congress or journalists in order to convey his questions about the implementation of the laws surrounding the collection of information concerning Americans' calls and emails. I think everyone would have applauded that because it would have added to the debate that was already started. Instead, he left the country - first to China, then to Russia - taking with him a huge amount of information about how we track the Chinese military's investments and testing of military equipment, how we monitor the communications between al-Qaida operatives. Just two examples.Except, of course, the failure of Wyden and Udall's claims to get any attention made it quite clear that reaching out to Senators wouldn't help. And he did reach out to journalists. But, of course, Clinton's former boss has also been using the Espionage Act against leakers and journalists at an astounding rate. If Obama hadn't been doing so, perhaps Snowden would have been more comfortable just sharing a few documents. However, knowing that there was a good chance he was about to disappear for life, it makes sense that Snowden handed over the whole pile of documents to Greenwald and Poitras. And, yes, this is one of the consequences of Obama's use of the Espionage Act. It encourages leakers to leak big while they can.
If Clinton honestly thinks everyone would have "applauded... because it would have added to the debate," she is either clueless about how people have responded to various similar (less explosive) leaks, or trying to rewrite history in her favor.
And the whole "go to China and Russia" bit is tired, old and misleading. As is the suggestion that he took any of that info to Russia. That's been debunked in the past, no need to do so again.
Still, what's amazing is that a week later, we now get this headline from the Guardian: Hillary Clinton backs overhaul of surveillance powers in NSA criticism, and then, in the article:
"Laws that were passed after 9/11 gave the executive very broad authority ... what has happened is that people have said, OK, the emergency is over and we want to get back to regular order," she said.Wait, what? If it weren't for Snowden, we wouldn't even be having the debate about the PATRIOT Act, and there wouldn't be a discussion about "the emergency is over." Hell, to hear Keith Alexander talk about it, the "threat" is bigger now than ever before. Because fear is the key.
"It's a really difficult balancing act, but you are absolutely right that we need to make some changes to secure that constitutional right to privacy that Americans are due."
Separately, notice that Clinton doesn't actually back any real proposal for reform, but just sorta dances around the idea that maybe reform is good. It's the ultimate in political nothingness. Stake out a bunch of vague positions without anything concrete that can come back to haunt you later, and do it all while bizarrely attacking the guy who made the issue an issue in the first place. And people wonder why the public is so cynical about politicians.
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Filed Under: ed snowden, hillary clinton, nsa, politics, surveillance, surveillance reform
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Anyone against Snowden
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And as much as I think Cheney is just another putrid politician... I am not sure that he is as bad as a Clinton.
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He did spray someone in the face...
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It's a bit scary to realize that we will have registered voters in the next Presidential election who are too young to remember the scandal-plagued Clinton administration or the disastrous election that resulted directly from it. (Remember how Bush Jr. ran on "restoring dignity to the White House"?) Does anyone really want more of that?
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Better than more Bushes...
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I LOATHED the Bush Administration. ...so I voted for Obama. ...twice.
Now all I have is regret and difficulty making up my mind as to who was worse.
THE FALLACY OF VOTING FOR “THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS”
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Re: Re: Re: Anyone against Snowden
We have registered voters that don't even remember the First 9-11 (which was actually on 2-26-93) and Oklahoma City which both happened on Clinton's watch.
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clueless about scope of loot
Sounds like an episode from "Friends."
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Re: clueless about scope of loot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpl4D3_b6DU&t=1m37s
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She is one angry person
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Re: She is one angry person
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I think the idea of Families of Politicians should be abhorrent to any well operating Republic or Democracy because it would help to keep corruption out.
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Re: She is one angry person
The reason that I won't vote for her is because she, like her husband, is a hard-line corporatist.
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You must not have a very good imagination. ;-)
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"constitutional right to privacy that Americans are due"
It's more like "American voters deserve to be bullshitted in a more thorough and less transparent manner in order to make them believe in the virtues of the U.S. government again."
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Benghazi
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Re: Benghazi
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Sit back and play the game.
We just need to play the waiting game. They will all be in their 80's at some point and putting an 80 year old away for treason against the citizens is just as refreshing as putting away a 50 year old.
They will get theirs eventually. We all think we are invincible while we are in charge. But when we are in a wheelchair having our diapers changed, it is a different story.
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Ironic that there hasn't been a real debate even since Snowden. There has been Congress/public pushing on one side and the White House/Judicial system pushing back & hiding what they can at the same time. Heaven forbid an actual discussion... that's exactly what the White House and intelligence organizations don't want!
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9/11
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Indeed. Might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb, as they say.
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(Wonder if Hillary plans on trying to break Obama's record for persecuting people who expose government corruption?)
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I'll not be voting for either party until recognizable changes occur. I'll go for the independent.
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I'm Ready For Oligarchy!
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Re: I'm Ready For Oligarchy!
Pretty obvious that they'll try a white female next.
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Worthless!
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Simple rule of politics:
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