Obama: Wiretaps OK now that I'm in charge.

[bigsixfive 341]

I don't disagree with it at all, but it will be interesting to see the lashings he won't take over this, especially since he spoke against it during his campaign.

Obama defends Bush-era secrets

President Obama’s administration is moving aggressively to protect what the government insists are “state secrets” from a Bush-era wiretapping program.

Justice Department lawyers filed an emergency motion Friday with a federal appeals court in an effort to block a lower court’s order that the government must show lawyers for the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation a copy of a document indicating that the group’s communications were being intercepted. The document has been the subject of a running legal battle since the papers were accidentally sent to attorneys for the group in 2004 and subsequently retrieved.

“Disclosure of the material at issue here would cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security and result in irreparable injury to the United States,” the Justice Department wrote. It said information about the surveillance program is considered “Top Secret — Sensitive Compartmented Information.”

The government wants the wiretapping lawsuit thrown out on the basis of the state secrets privilege, but a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that the privilege is overruled by a law Congress wrote, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Attorney General Eric Holder promised during the confirmation process to conduct a review of the Bush administration’s frequent use of the state secrets privilege. However, the emergency appeal in the al-Haramain case signals that Holder concluded the controversial privilege was correctly asserted there. Earlier this month, civil libertarians were disappointed when the Justice Department stood by the “state secrets” tactic in opposing a suit brought by men who claim they were abducted by the Central Intelligence Agency.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19114.html

[Tigermike 4,329]

So Bush has the CIA, NSA, DOD, & who knows who else listening to Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation along with other terrorists organizations and the left wing went absolutely butt a$$ bonkers. Now Obama is saying “Ain’t nothing wrong with this.” I will be just a little curious to see the uproar from the left.

If you are interested in what went on use this link. http://www.zombietime.com/al-haramain_surveillance/ This blogger is well-known in certain circles for his extended deconstructions of suspicious “journalism.” His analysis of the media’s coverage of an incident in last summer’s war between Israel and Hezbollah is a work of art.

BTW - The Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation is listed on several list of knownTerrorist organizations by the U.S. Government.

[autigeremt 7,553]

Good for Obama! He gets a star for the day on this issue. How long do you think it will be before they turn on him????? If they don't, it's mud on their face for sure.

[autiger4life 3]

Very interesting indeed. On one hand, I am glad ya'll are happy with something Obama has done, on the other I am not a fan or advocate of wiretapping US citizens.

So, for clarification are these US citizens? Just a terrorist group? People in the US but not citizens?

To be completely honest I am not sure where I stand on the issue and could probably be convinced I am wrong on which ever way I decide.

I know I want us wiretapping all the terrorist we can. I know I don't think we should wiretap US citizens not nessecarily because I thought Bush would ever do it with bad intent but more so because it was a slippery slope.

For instance, Bush wiretaps citizens to stop terrorism, then the next guy comes in and says the same thing and as it continues it turns into Big Brother. Many people claim Obama is a socialist and will make us a socialist country, so it seems strange with that thought in mind they are also okay with wiretapping.

Any clarification would be welcomed on the situation.

[Tigermike 4,329]

Very interesting indeed. On one hand, I am glad ya'll are happy with something Obama has done, on the other I am not a fan or advocate of wiretapping US citizens.

So, for clarification are these US citizens? Just a terrorist group? People in the US but not citizens?

To be completely honest I am not sure where I stand on the issue and could probably be convinced I am wrong on which ever way I decide.

I know I want us wiretapping all the terrorist we can. I know I don't think we should wiretap US citizens not nessecarily because I thought Bush would ever do it with bad intent but more so because it was a slippery slope.

For instance, Bush wiretaps citizens to stop terrorism, then the next guy comes in and says the same thing and as it continues it turns into Big Brother. Many people claim Obama is a socialist and will make us a socialist country, so it seems strange with that thought in mind they are also okay with wiretapping.

Any clarification would be welcomed on the situation.

For the record I don't think there has ever been any evidence of Bush wiretapping U.S. citizens.

If I remember correctly the anger from the left about this came not because it was being done but because it could be done. Not because it is wrong to wiretap and use all means of surveillance on terrorists, but because Bush was doing it.

[TigerHeat 9]

Very interesting indeed. On one hand, I am glad ya'll are happy with something Obama has done, on the other I am not a fan or advocate of wiretapping US citizens.

So, for clarification are these US citizens? Just a terrorist group? People in the US but not citizens?

To be completely honest I am not sure where I stand on the issue and could probably be convinced I am wrong on which ever way I decide.

I know I want us wiretapping all the terrorist we can. I know I don't think we should wiretap US citizens not nessecarily because I thought Bush would ever do it with bad intent but more so because it was a slippery slope.

For instance, Bush wiretaps citizens to stop terrorism, then the next guy comes in and says the same thing and as it continues it turns into Big Brother. Many people claim Obama is a socialist and will make us a socialist country, so it seems strange with that thought in mind they are also okay with wiretapping.

Any clarification would be welcomed on the situation.

For the record I don't think there has ever been any evidence of Bush wiretapping U.S. citizens.

If I remember correctly the anger from the left about this came not because it was being done but because it could be done. Not because it is wrong to wiretap and use all means of surveillance on terrorists, but because Bush was doing it.

I have worked wiretaps. They are virtually impossible to obtain. It takes MONTHS to get one. All that nonsense from the left was just hysteria and hyperventilation.

[OldNewby 27]