"Obama: New Oversight But No Change To Spying Power" (Press Conference Today)

[KoKo]

Obama: New Oversight But No Change To Spying Power
EILEEN SULLIVAN & PETE YOST August 9, 2013, 3:05 PM 495

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama made clear Friday that he has no intention of stopping the daily collection of phone records from millions of Americans, but he promised “appropriate reforms” to how such surveillance is carried out.

In an afternoon news conference, the president acknowledged the domestic spying has troubled Americans and hurt the country’s image abroad. But Obama blamed the damage on misinformation stemming from leaks to the news media.

“Understandably, people would be concerned,” the president said. “I would be, too, if I weren’t inside the government.”

But he assured Americans that the surveillance is not being abused, and he described the phone program as “an important tool” that keeps America safe.

“It’s not enough for me to have confidence in these programs,” Obama said. “The American people have to have confidence in them as well.”

Every day, the National Security Agency sweeps up the phone records of all Americans. The program was authorized under the USA Patriot Act, which Congress hurriedly passed after 9/11. The NSA says phone records are the only things it collects in bulk under that law. But officials have left open the possibility that it could create similar databases of people’s credit card transactions, hotel records and Internet searches.

The changes Obama endorsed include: formation of an outside advisory panel to review U.S. surveillance powers; assigning a privacy officer at the National Security Agency; and the creation of an independent attorney to argue against the government before the nation’s surveillance court.

All those new officials would carry out most of their duties in secret.

Obama’s news conference comes at the end of a summer that forced the administration into an unexpected debate over domestic surveillance. The debate began when former government contract systems analyst Edward Snowden leaked classified documents exposing NSA programs that store years of phone records on every American.

That revelation prompted the most significant reconsideration yet of the vast surveillance powers Congress granted the president after 9/11 attacks.

More at:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/obama-new-oversight-but-no-change-to-spying-power.php?ref=fpa

[Th1onein]

1. Trust me, you say? Thanks, but no thanks.

You and the NSA have already proven yourselves to be unworthy of my trust.

Pssst! Get the NSA out of my private communications. THEN we'll all be happy. Your "oversight" sucks. Get rid of the secret courts, and the secret laws, and the secret rulings about the laws. Until then? Well, you know what you can do with your "oversight."

[KoKo]

3. This is what he is Proposing: Outside Advisory Panel, Private Officer Supervising and..

The changes Obama endorsed include: formation of an outside advisory panel to review U.S. surveillance powers; assigning a privacy officer at the National Security Agency; and the creation of an independent attorney to argue against the government before the nation’s surveillance court.

[PSPS]

5. Standard do-nothing actions. At least they didn't use the overused "blue ribbon" adjective.

Hey, mister "constitutional scholar." There's no way you can spin this. The only acceptable action is to shut it down. Anything short of that is nonsense and turns you into an enemy of the people. Spying on citizens is not an American Value, mister "constitutional scholar."

Oh, I see that all of these proposed "actions" will be, natch, "performed in secret!" That's right. Mister "constitutional scholar" who is all about "transparency" along with his meaningless "hope and change" bullshit just keeps shoveling it out, doesn't he? What a joke. What an utter failure. He is so unfit for his office. It is truly disgusting.

[Egnever]

11. This post shows a gross misunderstanding of what is actually going on

Or a deliberate attempt to mislead.

The fact that you cant differentiate between legitimate data collection and hair on fire all data collection needs to stop makes your opinion worthless.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. Exactly. The haters don't understand that it is actually

CONGRESS who has the authority to strip the president of ALL his surveillance powers. They can even strip the NSA of ALL of its discretionary budget. They have oversight authority. So while the president may have executive control over the NSA, Congress can make sure that the agency doesn't have enough resources to carry out its mission.

But, that's o.k. because so many here on DU hide behind keyboards, crying all day long, and don't know a damn thing about how government works.

Congress has oversight powers. It also has budgetary powers. If it really wanted to, it could strip the NSA of ALL its functional powers in one swift stroke. But no, it won't do that because the Republicans like it when us liberals hate Obama. They love that.

[dkf]

28. If they don't know the interpretation the court is using of the law they passed....

How can they supervise anything?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

33. I think it's BS! An excuse for them to not do their job!

Their job is to get clarification on the law, then oversee that agencies comply. If they can't do that they need to be voted out!

[PSPS]

24. Yes, that's right. I'm all confused (#10.)

Worshiper/Apologist Hit Parade:

1. This is nothing new
2. I have nothing to hide
3. What are you, a freeper?
4. But Obama is better than Christie/Romney/Bush/Hitler
5. Greenwald/Flaherty/Gillum/Apuzzo/Braun is a hack
6. We have red light cameras, so this is no big deal
7. Corporations have my data anyway
8. At least Obama is trying
9. This is just the media trying to take Obama down
10. It's a misunderstanding/you are confused
11. You're a racist
12. Nobody cares about this anyway / "unfounded fears"
13. I don't like Snowden, therefore we must disregard all of this
14. Other countries do it

[GoneFishin]

26. I probably get (#15) I "hate Obama" because (#16) "the Republicans want me to". nt

[woo me with science]

18. You're right. It's reeking, manipulative garbage.

Last edited Fri Aug 9, 2013, 06:04 PM - Edit history (1)

They are doing exactly what many of us here predicted: trying desperately to establish the wholesale, unconstitutional mass vacuuming and storage of this data as a given, and hoping that the public will be mollified by after-the-fact promises about who gets to look at it.

No. They have no right to the access that creates the database in the first place.

Obama has now gone all in with Cheney in declaring the Constitution just a goddamn piece of paper.

[Waiting For Everyman]

21. Yep. "The only acceptable action is to shut it down."

The little secret fix-it cabal is an old con, and we've seen that movie before too. That's as old as the Warren Commission.

Here ya go, Mr. President, a "now playing" for ya to make the point a different way... "I can see by your eyes you must be lying, when you think I don't have a clue... "

[Th1onein]

6. Congress was supposed to handle the first one, and didn't.

And I see no reason why someone new would be able to handle it now. The second is just pointless. NSA lies. And there is no reason to assume that the same wouldn't be true of a "privacy officer" at the NSA.

The third? Might be a good idea.

I doubt ANY of it will be transparent, though. So, what's the point?

[99th_Monkey]

2. Now you see it, now you don't

peek a boo PR puff piece.

[leftstreet]

4. What was the oversight prior to this?

It's kinda shocking none of this was in place

[KoKo]

7. Wasn't it the Secret Panel of Judges? Appointed by Supreme John Roberts?

The "FISA COURT."

I don't know of anything else.

[leftstreet]

8. LOL but I bet they didn't have a cool website

[woo me with science]

23. Maybe they're gonna hire more impressive looking kangaroos

to watch these kangaroos "oversee" the spying.

It's a brazen sidestepping of the real issue, while outrageously pretending to address it. The problem is the access, collection and storage IN THE FIRST PLACE.

What a manipulative insult to every single American this garbage is.

[Rex]

9. They need these resources to catch terrorists, so ya no change in message.

Same message as before.

[woo me with science]

10. "We're still gonna trash the Constitution, but

more people will be watching and nodding while we do it."

[dkf]

30. And they will keep everything secret.

[WillyT]

12. K & R !!!

[forestpath]

13. Hot air and window dressing.

[woo me with science]

15. What totalitarian garbage. All the "oversight" in the world

does not make the mass collection and storage of this data constitutional, moral, or in any way acceptable.

We knew they would pull this stunt. We knew they would try to establish the vacuuming up of all the data as a "given" and try to mollify the public with garbage, after-the-fact rules about who can look at it and when.

THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO SWEEP IT UP AND STORE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Never forget:

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.

[BlueCheese]

16. If they actually do appoint an independent attorney to argue against the govt in the FISA court...

... I imagine he or she will end up with a win/loss record similar to that of the Washington Generals.

[Waiting For Everyman]

17. Tinkering is not nearly good enough.

I for one, don't want my "data" in NSA's stinking database. I'm an innocent person, why should I?

Let those who want to trade security for their rights, opt in to it, if they like it so much.

[woo me with science]

19. They hope to mollify the public with meaningless "tinkering."

They are trying to treat the unconstitutional mass data sweeping and storage as a GIVEN. They want to focus the attention of the sheep instead on the "tinkered" rules for accessing it.

It reeks of manipulative contempt for Americans and the Constitution.

[Waiting For Everyman]

20. Exactly right.

I can't beliee the nerve of suggesting supposed safeguards that are SECRET. How the hell does that do anything different? Whatever it was, we wouldn't know it! Once again! All this secret nonsense has to go. The fact that Wyden, a senator, can't tell us what the problem is, is absolutely ridiculous.

The same for secret decisions that we can't see about secret laws that we can't know. And the same for the 200,000 National Security Letters that have been issued so far with gag orders attached to them. That is simply obscene.

[KoKo]

27. What POB doesn't understand is that "Tinkering" and "Special Commissions" just

don't cut it on the Left, these days. But, then...when did he ever listen to his Left Dems...who worked butts off to Promote Him?

I don't have respect for people like that. His EXCUSE is that he's "Dancing With Those Who Brung Him" like Wall Street, Rubin and Penny Pritzger (the King Maker) and so there fore he OWES the Rest of US....NOTHING!

But...there's a point at which this kind of Antics and Total Control of a President will get PUSH BACK.

[ProSense]

22. I suspect

these Senators saw a differenct press conference.

Wyden Statement on President Obama’s Proposed Reforms to the FISC and PATRIOT ACT
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023436039

Blumenthal Applauds President Obama’s Support For Special Advocate In FISA Courts
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023435963

[Mojorabbit]

25. Nah, they saw the same one and are dong the political support statements we always see. nt

[MNBrewer]

29. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic

[DisgustipatedinCA]

31. When trust has been broken, that problem cannot be fixed in secret. This is absurd. n/t

[KoKo]

32. His "Presser" had this info about NSA Spying as reported by TPM ...hardly

a RW Site.

Folks need to get past the weeds and see what he's Proposting...and if there is Merit...or it's Stalling and that what he proposes could end up a Dead End with Recommendations like Simpson/Bowles for NSA Spying on American's Resolution.

Those are HIS WORD in the OP. (Now it's from TPM...but, don't think Josh would have his reporters falsify the Presser and Obama's own words). Just saying...