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More Immunity Claims on Wiretapping from Obama DOJ

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Here's a critism of Obama from Daily KOS, where are the liberals on PB, that criticized Bush for this same thing?

More Immunity Claims on Wiretapping from Obama DOJ
by mcjoan
More Immunity Claims on Wiretapping from Obama DOJ Tue Apr 07, 2009 at 05:02:04 PM PDT

In three separate cases in as many months, the Obama Justice Department has used the same arguments that the Bush administration Justice Department used to attempt to stop judicial review of extraordinary rendition and warrantless wiretapping. In the Mohamed v. Jeppesen extraordinary rendition case, the Obama administration reiterated the Bush administration argument that the case should be dismissed to preserve "states secrets." Likewise, in the Al-Haramain wiretapping case, Obama's DOJ used the arguments of the Bush administration to argue, again, that state secrets should prevent the Al-Haramain case--in which the only secret isn't a secret because it was inadvertently shared with plaintiff's attorneys--from moving forward.

Late Friday, the Obama DOJ actually went the Bush administration one argument further, in a third case. In Jewel v. NSA, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is "suing the National Security Agency (NSA) and other government agencies on behalf of AT&T customers to stop the illegal, unconstitutional, and ongoing dragnet surveillance of their communications and communications records." The Obama administration filed its first response [pdf] to the suit Friday, demanding dismissal of the entire suit.

Just a reminder, as pointed out by Glenn; one of the rationales provided by all of those Senators who supported the FISAAA that granted immunity to the telcos was the the avenue of suing the government was still open. Jello Jay wrote: "If administration officials abused their power or improperly violated the privacy of innocent people, they must be held accountable. That is exactly why we rejected the White House's year-long push for blanket immunity covering government officials."

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/4/7/717546/-More-Immunity-Claims-on-Wiretapping-from-Obama-DOJ
 

Texan

Well-known member
In three separate cases in as many months, the Obama Justice Department has used the same arguments that the Bush administration Justice Department used to attempt to stop judicial review of extraordinary rendition and warrantless wiretapping.



hypocritexposer said:
...where are the liberals on PB, that criticized Bush for this same thing?
That's a good question. Where are they? The Bush Administration was criticized repeatedly by the liberals here for doing the same thing. But now? Those same people are silent.

Why aren't they outraged now? Is this different than Bush because Obama uses the words, "change" and "transparency?"

Obama continues to say one thing...and do something completely different. He does something...and then claims that he didn't do it. Is this "transparency?" Is this "change?"

I would think that at some point, Obama supporters would wake up and realize that he is treating them like fools. A question for you Obama supporters:

Why is this okay with you?
 

backhoeboogie

Well-known member
Texan it all appears to be classic lip service. Obama will say anything he needs to say to appease someone. Action speaks louder than words and his actions have been pretty detrimental. His actions do not coincide with his words.

Most all of this was noted back during the debates when he first qualified every statement with, "We're looking in to that but..." Who is "we?" What is his real position - after "looking in to it." We never heard. He is a weasel.
 

Tex

Well-known member
Texan, I am pretty outraged about this.

We don't need the federal government to have the unchecked powers of a police state. The founders set up a balance of powers to protect the people from abuses of power from one branch or another.

I don't like seeing our rights slowly being stripped away by politicians and their henchmen using powers of government for their own ends and not the benefit of the nation. I wouldn't trust a republican with this power, a democrat, or anyone else. There is no way FISA should not be allowed to put a check on abuse of power by government.

It is a serious degradation of our democracy.

Of course when did the executive branch follow the law and limits on its power?
 

Tex

Well-known member
Big Muddy rancher said:
Ya Tex weren't you the one claiming Bush and Cheney were sitting around the Oval office listening to your phone calls? :D :roll:

Gee, I wish I knew that was happening. I would have given them an earful.
 
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