For civil libertarians, there may be no more unsettling statements than “Dianne Feinstein is here to protect civil liberties.” Of course, it is not quite that bad. The Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has been the greatest champion for the creation of the massive surveillance of U.S. citizens and effectively blocked any demand for a perjury prosecution of National Intelligence Director James Clapper for lying about the programs. She has called for the prosecution of Edward Snowden for revealing years of deceitful or false statements made to the public. She has criticized the media for disclosing information on the programs despite admissions that of unlawful conduct by the government after the disclosures. No, none of that bothers Dianne Feinstein. However, she is outraged by the monitoring of foreign leaders and promised a “total review” surveillance program.
What is striking is Feinstein’s outrage that there is a dire need for oversight after the government was given carte blanche to grab millions of emails and phone calls of U.S. citizens. Feinstein of course first moved (as have all Democratic leaders) to protect the President. There has been a full court press to maintain that Obama was entirely unaware of the surveillance — a curious position that I have previously discussed. Feinstein’s outrage appears calculated to support that new spin. She has said Obama’s lack of knowledge is a “big problem.” She added “The White House has informed me that collection on our allies will not continue, which I support.”
Continuing to refer to the widely ridiculed secret court as legitimating the massive surveillance of all citizens, Feinstein says that this is a problem because it was not carried out under such claims of oversight: “Unlike NSA’s collection of phone records under a court order, it is clear to me that certain surveillance activities have been in effect for more than a decade and that the Senate Intelligence Committee was not satisfactorily informed.”
By the way, you will note that, as usual, Feinstein is not particularly concerned about average people or their rights. It is the leaders (like herself) that concerns her: “Unless the United States is engaged in hostilities against a country or there is an emergency need for this type of surveillance, I do not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers.”
Feinstein’s outrage therefore seem a bit forced . . . much like her concern over the regulation of drones. Clearly, the prior effort to shrug off the surveillance or even to embrace it has not gone over well. The alarm raised by Feinstein comes right on cue as the White House struggles to assure allies that Obama is not personally responsible for what his government does. It is the only avenue around the growing international crisis: the ole plausible deniability. The abuses would be officially attributed to faceless functionaries acting on their own. While that may not make a lot of sense since this intelligence had to have been shared at the highest levels, it allows people like Feinstein to implement meaningless investigations while the intelligence community burrows deeper out of the public eye. It would simply have been more plausible with someone who has shown a modicum of concern for civil liberties in the past. The current security state was created with the enthusiastic support of Feinstein and other members who have shown little inclination or interest in serious oversight.
And so the narrative is set. The surveillance of Merkel was an over-zealous group of spies and has left American leaders perfectly horrified and disgusted . . . and all will be made well by Dianne Feinstein.
Source: The Hill
Erika, Bingo! Feinstein is the consummate finger in the wind politician. She climbed over the body of a good politician and mayor, Moscone, and has been entrenched ever since.
It’s all about how bad it looks, not how bad it is.
Feinstein is not ticked off that foreign leaders’ phones were hacked; she’s ticked off because they were hacked and she wasn’t informed about it.
“NSA Surveillance Programs Live starting shortly:”
Washington, DC
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
“National Intelligence Director James Clapper testifies about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance program before a rare public hearing of the House Intelligence Committee.
The NSA has been back in the press recently after revelations that it spied on foreign leaders. Mr. Clapper will be joined by the Director and Deputy Director of the NSA in the first panel of the hearing.
The committee will also hear from former George W. Bush administration officials Steven Bradbury – who served in the Justice Department, and Stuart Baker – who served in the Homeland Security Department.
Legislators will question the intelligence officials about proposed changes to laws overseeing the NSA’s controversial metadata collection programs.”
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Intel-Officials-Discuss-Proposed-Changes-to-NSA-Spying-Programs/10737442346-1/
Isn’t it curious that govt officials believe that the public is filled with crooks, while the public recognizes that the government is filled with crooks. Clearly governments commit far more atrocities than publics do.
Reblogged this on Brittius.com.
The third times the charm, maybe?!!
From a Galaxy far far away Diane Feinstein reveals her plan for a secure USofA.
That is BarkinDog. No p in there.
Feinstein is 80 years old and too old for Congress. Ask her to pull out now like her father should have. You people in California are schmucks for inflicting her upon the rest of us. Next you will send us some senile old actor to run for President.
What Blouise said! Feinstein sold out long ago.
Too little, too late … I never thought I’d say this but … Feinstein lost me.
NEVERMIND !!! :o)
This is much better, it is 1 1/2 minutes.
OOPs wrong one, my apologies.
From a Galaxy far far away, Emperor Feinstein reveals her plans for a secure US of A.
WRONG!!! Feinstein…. Investigate the NSA to Protect The Citizens of the United States of America…. who you and the entire USELESS Congress, seem to have forgotten, that you are supposed to be working for!!!!
“…
Yes it’s no use saying that you don’t know nothing
It’s still gonna get you if you don’t do something
Sitting on a fence that’s a dangerous course
Ah, you could even catch a bullet from the peace-keeping force
Even the hero gets a bullet in the chest
Oh yeah, once upon a time in the west
Mother Mary your children are slaughtered
Some of you mothers ought to lock up your daughter
Who’s protecting the innocenti
Heap big trouble in the land of plenty
Tell me how we’re gonna do what’s best
You guess once upon a time in the west”
Feinstein is a bought and paid for subsidiary of the Intelligence Complex.
Give Ron Wyden the chair!
Barn door, horses out.