Hillary Clinton is almost certain to launch a bid for the presidency. But at least for now, she’s determined to keep the public guessing about her stance on NSA spying. As Edward Snowden’s revelations forced the issue to the fore of national debate, she kept mum, even as other prospective candidates staked out positions.
On Tuesday, the technology journalist Kara Swisher raised the subject of surveillance while questioning the former Secretary of State. “Would you throttle back the NSA in the ways that President Obama has promised but that haven’t come to pass?” she asked. Clinton’s successfully evasive answer unfolded as follows:
Clinton: Well, I think the NSA needs to be more transparent about what it is doing, sharing with the American people, which it wasn’t. And I think a lot of the reaction about the NSA, people felt betrayed. They felt, wait, you didn’t tell us you were doing this. And all of a sudden now, we’re reading about it on the front page…
So when you say, “Would you throttle it back?” Well, the NSA has to act lawfully. And we as a country have to decide what the rules are. And then we have to make it absolutely clear that we’re going to hold them accountable. What we had because of post-9/11 legislation was a lot more flexibility than I think people really understood, and was not explained to them. I voted against the FISA Amendments in 2008 because I didn’t think they went far enough to kind of hold us accountable in the Congress for what was going on.
Swisher: By flexibility you mean too much spying power, really.
Clinton: Well yeah but how much is too much? And how much is not enough? That’s the hard part. I think if Americans felt like, number one, you’re not going after my personal information, the content of my personal information. But I do want you to get the bad guys, because I don’t want them to use social media, to use communications devices invented right here to plot against us. So let’s draw the line. And I think it’s hard if everybody’s in their corner. So I resist saying it has to be this or that. I want us to come to a better balance.
This will not do. The answer elides the fact that Clinton has not been a passive actor in surveillance policy. “What the rules are” is something that she was responsible for helping to decide. She served in the United States Senate from 2001 to 2009. She cast votes that enabled the very NSA spying that many now regard as a betrayal. And she knew all about what the NSA wasn’t telling the public. To say now that the NSA should’ve been more transparent raises this question: Why wasn’t Clinton among the Democrats working for more transparency? Read the Whole Article
“And we as a country have to decide what the rules are.”, says Hillary. We already did! The 4th Amendment of the Constitution.
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.
I think spying on every person in the world without a warrant clearly violates the 4th Amendment. Go Snowden!
>This will not do.
Yes it will. You’re voting for her. Others who don’t care a much about the issue, will be quite satisfied with wishy washy stuff like this. Mission accomplished, unless her opponent is Rand Paul.
Probably not voting for ger in the primary.
Her statement is enough to get plenty of people like you on board her primary. Enough that it won’t matter if a few vote elsewhere.
Well since your not registered Dem, you cant vote in their primary anyway, right Perk?
And you only say probably. You still might.
>”And we as a country have to decide what the rules are.”, says Hillary. We already did! The 4th Amendment of the Constitution.
Someone who supports the ignoring and rewriting of immigration laws has no business claiming the Constitution as an authority.
It’s truly funny to see someone who evades transparency at every turn calling for more transparency.
Or maybe it’s not so funny…
Not so funny.
This says it all:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=d8RR4ae5PZ0
Hillary has declared that she wiped the server clean*. So now she can just say she will do that to the NSA’s servers and all is forgiven.
* Thru her lawyer, the same one who declared that Bill Clinton did no rape Juanita Broaddrick, and when Bill was asked about it, he said .’My lawyer made a statement. I have no further comment on that.’
Tea Party,what a joke. A bunch of ignorant hicks that take their marching orders from billionaires but are to stupid to realize it. It may have started with good intension but was taken over a long time ago.
JAK off, you’ve GOT to be kidding!
Some of the most stupid folks around are the bleeding heart liberals, especially the poor ones who believe the bones they’re thrown from the left are meant to lift them out of poverty.
Stop this party nonsense. All skunks stink.
I’m not pro anything when it comes to politicians. The system is broken because of corporate money and all politicians are just whores that don’t give a shit about the American people and just do what their told to by who ever gives them the most money.
The police and FBI already have a blanket waiver of the 4th Amendment, to search Americans’ homes, without any warrant. All part of their new power to save kidnapped or exploited children. Yeah, that old lame excuse. “Won’t somebody please think of the children?!”
Back in November, they went door to door, thru my neighborhood. Looking for a missing teenage girl. That they already had some clues, she had runaway with a guy she had been tweeting. After not finding her, anywhere local. Then the cops got a warrant for Apple and Microsoft, to show her iPad and Xbox messages. So large social media corporations still require a warrant to be searched. But your homes don’t.
Because they’re not willing to take “NO!” for an answer, from us slaves.
Froth at the mouth much?
Link to any reference saying they searched homes without owner’s permission??
You start saying they searched without permission then that they went door to door. The first is (still) illegal, the second is good police work.
I too have privacy “concerns” but like any rational person, I recognize the need for security and police intrusion as well.
ain’t living a sane life always a question of balance?
Yea, they search without permission. It happened in Watertown after the Boston Marathon. Something tells me they would not have done this in wealthy Newton, telling people to get out while the cops search your house.
……………ok…………I can accept in the hot pursuit of mass murders a few cops might not have asked.
I say===forgiveable for that crime, not for a missing kiddie.
PROS AND CONS to every issue. Sad how many people on so many issues only see one side or the other….
…………………………and never the balance.
A Candle in the Dark¹ you are for all.
……. insipid irrelevance avoided here.
¹apologies to Carl Sagan
Wow! You mean the magic cunt like the magic mulatto aren’t speaking the truth? Say it isn’t so.
There is hope for the nation with Harry Reid the one eyed peckerwood resigning and Babs Boxer the delusional ditz from Kali is going too. Yippeee!!
The HillWeasel will probably be our next resident of the US. Because of people like bobbo and Perkel, we will always be a two party system, and the football will just be handed back to another elitist POS.
Sheesh.
You never see enthusiastic and energized Hillary supporters.
Last time she got beat by “guy no one ever heard of” in Democratic primary.
How does an uncharismatic person win a national election?
It’s interesting how these moronic party supporters will say they are against any religion from ruling a nation but are hypocritically just replacing something like Catholicism/Christianity or even Islam for political (Democrat) rhetoric. You know? Just like the supporters of ADOLF HITLER did!
Marc Perkel is an excellent example of a NAZI LEMMING! He may know all the reasons, or at least the good reasons, why to NOT vote for some reprehensible bitch like Hillary but then goes with the hordes of other brainless idiots and does it anyway — because he BELIEVES she’s “better.” It’s like he isn’t even paying attention to his own logical arguments why someone like Richard Nixon would be a better choice.
I love the info Perkel presents but can’t stand the hypocritical touchy-feely soap boxing this fool and other lock step twits like Bobbo spew out. These pinheads have likely had their brains fucked out from all that San Francisco cock sucking (“not that there’s anything wrong with that”)! About the only good thing I see here is all the smart comments from just about every other corner of the world (with certain exceptions) which have condemned these blow holes and exposed their agenda for what it really is — the first steps towards a FOURTH REICH! Coming to you courtesy of your North Korea supporters in CHINA!
Ha, ha. “Vulgarina”–nice word.
VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE…………yes, very lockstep.
You can’t order off menu…….only stay home or eat the bread until asked to leave.
Hillary or Jeb? Thats the choice before us buckos. Two horribles for slightly difference reasons, the BULK being two status quo big gubment pro corporate self dealing delusional apparatchiks. Meat puppets…..but with enough raw intelligence to be corrupt themselves.
I’d be voting for Hillary===as a Dumbo, she gives me the people a few scraps rather than constant wealth transfers to the already TOO RICH.
You know………some whack-a-doodle ULTRA RICH liberal ought to Fund a Real Change Third Party candidate of quality. The love Child of Ralph Nader and Elizabeth Warren is who I want.
Lock stepping…………….all the way.
Sheesh demonstrating the mind rot that sets in when all you do is dog whistle to the pack says:
3/30/2015 at 5:23 pm
“Name anyone who even “claims” that he has been audited on Obamas orders.”
Even you aren’t so stupid to believe you could ever find an honest answer in that. //// I’m not the one making the claim. Alfie did. ….. Perhaps that is not fair even to unthinking right wing types, as Alfie is totally done?
Wait, you actually are that stupid. /// Only on evidence showing same. Mere declaration doesn’t cut it.
Sol maybe you should file a FOIA request and see what happens from the most transparent administration in history. /// Ok…my point in posting: what the Frick does complying with FOIA requests have to do with supporting the claim that Obama has sicked the IRS on them? The kind of FOIA response you might want on first blush has NOTHING to do with a review of popular literature to find people who claim they have been harassed.
Can you …………….. see the difference???
Can you?
After all it is Sunshine Week!
http://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/18/obama-transparency-foia-sunshine-week
The link goes to a different issue………… and without looking at it, I don’t think Obama, or any other Fed Gubment agency does an adequate job of providing information. They all suck.
The issue on the table though……….is different. If you can see it.
Can you???
Why no rioting when the NSA shot up a black guy arriving at their complex by accident?
Obvious taunt on race blow up last year, come on… try a little harder.
Hey, the dudes were dressed up as women. Isn’t that the more pertinent question 😛
Yes, a trifecta, unarmed black crossdressers shot up by NSA!