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In reply to the discussion: Obama Administration Had Restrictions on NSA Reversed in 2011... [View all]Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)but he's not the person so many of us thought we were electing. We thought we were electing a constitutional law professor with a broader perspective, and instead we got a person who is somewhat Nixonian on these issues.
Not that President Obama is unique - this current wave of massive NSA surveillance began under Clinton, accelerated under Bush, and now is accelerating again under Obama. Three two-term presidents who have pissed upon the US Constitution in a startlingly coherent way.
The continuity here makes me think that the intelligence cohort persists administration after administration, and convinces presidents that they can deliver the goods. But I think they are failing, and throwing the constitutional baby out with the national security bathwater. However if you accept the basic proposition, one can see how this could happen. Each new incident is used to say "But if we only had THIS capability, we could take care of such problems!" And they always get what they ask for.
This could only have happened behind the scenes, and secrecy is essential to keep up this drive.
I believe the Obama administration deliberately allowed Snowden to escape - I don't think they could have permitted him to come back and be tried, because a jury might not have convicted, and they could not have allowed him to present a defense in court. The resulting legal battle would have been on the front pages for years.