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Read other letters about this article
Was how Obama in his statement says essentially trust me with these powers, I'll use them responsibly.
Nope.
"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." - John Adams
I don't care if he has a D after his name - you don't get to wield the Ring of Gyges.
Digby said (before she updated her post) at least Obama promised to review the program and what not. Hogwash. The promise is in the Law - not in confidence that power won't be abused
"F]ree government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy and not confidence which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those whom we are obliged to trust with power: that our Constitution has accordingly fixed the limits to which, and no further, our confidence may go ... In questions of powers, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."
And let's put this in perspective:
A president who has unprecedented unpopularity levels, is arguably the worst president in American history, had an historical defeat of his party in the last election, who is now approaching lame duck territory, looks as though he is going to get telecom amnesty which he couldn’t get from a Republican led Congress from the Democrats who were voted in because the public was sick of Bush vassal Republicans with the Democratic candidate for President voting Yes on it as well. Could there possibly be any clearer indication of how broken, corrupted, rotten, and dyfunctional American politics is? Can anyone possibly imagine the reverse scenario ever taking place?
