Flutterby™! : Feinstein mixed on NSA spying

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Feinstein mixed on NSA spying

2013-10-29 15:30:08.153948+00 by Dan Lyke 4 comments

It doesn't matter when it's, you know, U.S. citizens, but Feinstein is against NSA spying on U.S. allies. See also NSA angers Feinstein, one of its key allies in Congress.

[ related topics: Politics ]

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2013-10-29 15:49:57.557295+00 by: Jack William Bell

To me Feinstein's recent comments on this subject are completely bizarre. Not just the 'spy on us, but not our friends' crap, but the whole way she was supporting the NSA while admitting they had lied to her. Basically she is all over the map on this and it really isn't clear what her stance is, other than general support for NSA programs.

I'm going to avoid the conspiracy theories and assume she is simply an idiot with a staff of idiots. Much simpler.

#Comment Re: made: 2013-10-29 16:07:38.624756+00 by: Dan Lyke

She has long been the Senator from Hollywood, pushing whatever ridiculous draconian restrictions on freedoms that the MPAA and RIAA push for, and she's also been pretty beholden to military contractors, so, yeah: I think she's just gotten out of her depth and can't figure out how to reconcile her willingness to sell out the nation with necessity to be outraged at the obvious ("Really? We were spying on foreign leaders? I'm shocked.")

#Comment Re: made: 2013-10-29 16:37:31.699401+00 by: Larry Burton

I really don't understand her actions. When I heard that we had tapped Chancellor Merkel's phone my confidence in the NSA actually went up a bit.

#Comment Re: made: 2013-10-29 17:18:57.474254+00 by: Dan Lyke [edit history]

Yeah, exactly: Listening in on foreign leaders should be a "shocked that there is gambling in this establishment" moment, and if Angela Merkel should be pissed at anybody it's her own security services for misleading her about what was possible and reasonable to expect. It's the internal security state that should be the surprise.

Civil Libertarians to Dianne Feinstein: We Told You So:

The moment when Dianne Feinstein should have called for a comprehensive review of NSA's programs was no later than August 18, when she admitted the Senate Intelligence Committee doesn't get briefed on violations that occur under Executive Order 12333, even though they constitute the bulk of violations.