But those scandals aren’t sexy enough, and don’t lend to screaming headlines.

[sheshe2]

intelligence agency conducts intelligence. news at 11.
By Liberal Librarian

Now, some GOP Congresspeople are shocked, SHOCKED, that the NSA is conducting the sort of intelligence gathering specifically authorized by the PATRIOT Act, its various reauthorizations, and the FISA acts passed by the very same Congress. If Mitt Romney had won the presidency in 2012, these same legislators would be mute. But, much like Greenwald and his acolytes, everything coming from the Obama administration, even if they voted for it, is immediately suspect as the actions of an out of control autocrat. If he didn’t use the powers vested in him by law to protect against or investigate terrorist actions, he would be pilloried as a weak defender of the homeland. Consistency goes out the window where Obama is involved.

If the folks agitated by Mr. Greenwald want intelligence agencies’ powers curtailed, then perhaps a better use of their time would be to work to elect candidates who promise to do just that. These expanded powers were voted by overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress. These powers are the law; a change in powers requires a change in the law. But of course, that requires actual work, which is long and slow; powers, once granted, are hard to retract. It is much easier for Mr. Greenwald to write scathing diatribes from his perch in Rio than enter the lists of politics, where outcomes are much messier.

SNIP

This is going to be a long summer, as war by leaks take up oxygen for the coming months. In the meantime, the Supreme Court authorizes taking DNA without a warrant, and Republicans in Congress continues to shirk any pretense of sharing in the governance of the country. But those scandals aren’t sexy enough, and don’t lend to screaming headlines. And so it shall be, until we say “enough” and deal with the real problems facing this country.

All of it here:
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/06/intelligence-agency-conducts-intelligence-news-at-11/

One might ponder the timing of all this and the volume of outrage. This is not a new story.

One might think that this is a well planned coordinated attack from the right, to cause mass confusion to our party. 2014 is right around the corner. The right has tried to defeat this President any way that they can. Now it would seem that they are trying to destroy our party too.

We only have to look around with the ringing sound of impeachment demands and others that band together with the vow of never again supporting another democrat, not ever.

Sadly those voices are loud and clear at DU.

One just has to wonder about the timing of all this.

Timing is everything.

[NYC_SKP]

1. K/R

Things like this don't just happen, they happen for a reason and with deliberate timing.

One possible theory I haven't seen suggested is this:

Knowing that public concern drives change, and that Republican office-holders are easily distracted...

What if the Obama camp engineered this leak? What if he is about to use the leak and subsequent outrage as a chance to advance an agenda to clean it up?

First the leak, then the all the concern from the RW (and left), and then, BAM, he gives them what they say they want and moves to fix it.

[okaawhatever]

2. I like the theory. nt

[jeff47]

3. Also on the deliberate leak front

We aren't talking about the Democrats who voted to cut food stamps.

[Fumesucker]

10. Well Republicans sure wouldn't want us talking about Dems who voted to cut food stamps.

I can see how that would motivate them to release the NSA story.

Totally.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

4. Timing is everything.

The GOP is behind this. Make no mistake. There is a vote coming up that will, slowly, hurt the working poor and the working homeless.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/government_programs/jan-june13/foodstamps_06-06.html

These scandals are taking up news time because they are getting pushed buy the Sales Dept. of the Network Companies. They bring ratings. Due to the push, they don't get the investigating they should get. We get all wrapped in the half info and here comes a bill we know would never fly if it was talked about. Add to it being mixed with a Farm Aid Bill to help keep it on the down low.

Yes, timing IS everything.

[sheshe2]

12. It is Lady Freedom~

Timing.

The old bait and switch routine.

CHRIS EDWARDS: No, that's absolutely right.

If you look at the big picture, the cost of the food stamp program has roughly quadrupled over the last decade, from about $20 billion to about $80 billion today.

And the House Republicans are thinking about cutting about $2 billion of that, just a couple of a percent. After you have quadrupled the size of a program, I think that's reasonable, a cut that small.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/government_programs/jan-june13/foodstamps_06-06.html

Oh Chris...do you have any clue as to WHY the food stamp program might have tripled over the last decade. Hmmm?

Could it possibly be that bushco sent the economy spiraling to it's death. With tax cuts to the wealthy and two wars on credit cards. That maybe they cut and plundered the middle class to oblivion. No jobs heath care et all!

[Cha]

5. Yes, if the people who are so agitated want Congress to have less

power then Liberal Liberarian has a brilliant suggestion, she..

These expanded powers were voted by overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress. These powers are the law; a change in powers requires a change in the law. But of course, that requires actual work, which is long and slow; powers, once granted, are hard to retract. It is much easier for Mr. Greenwald to write scathing diatribes from his perch in Rio than enter the lists of politics, where outcomes are much messier.

The Scandal Is Congress, Not the NSA

snip***

But the place where this broad, legal surveillance can be reined in is Congress, since they passed the laws to begin with. Congress created this mess, and they should be the ones to clean it up.

***snip

http://www.nationalmemo.com/the-scandal-is-congress-not-the-nsa/

Thank you for the OP, she~

[sheshe2]

9. The GOP

is far more interested in Faux scandals than the job that they were sent here to do.

That being the peoples work. And God love us, we have made a lot of progress without their support.

Just think what we could have accomplished with a working congress, Cha.

[Cha]

11. The gopropaganda machine will churn out the Scamdals,

she. And, the profiteering left will Make you(not you ) Outraged!!!1111



http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022967844

[sheshe2]

14. Yeah,

I got that part, Cha

Cali_D's thread was great!

Doesn't take long to find Greenwald jokes~



oh and since I did't have your hair raising smilie, remember Wilson~

[Cha]

15. Wilson! Hilariously, she, that you should know

that he looks like !!

[Kath1]

6. Thanks, she.

Yes, timing is everything. The RW will do anything to bring down Obama. They are terrified that they will lose the house in 2014. I'm convinced that is what is driving this. I am comforted only by the fact that all of the Obama voters I know, and I know a lot of them, see the political maneuvering for what it is.

[sheshe2]

8. Thanks Kath,

and I agree this is all about 2014.

The outrage is incredible for a six year old story.

We want change, we have to then vote for it!

[Kath1]

13. All about 2014.

Yes it is. The story is old and stale. Thankfully, it isn't gaining traction with most of the public. Giving President Obama a Democratic House he deserves and he can work with in 2014 is my focus. Let's resolve to vote for hope and change in 2014! Peace, she.

[uponit7771]

7. The FUDr on DU is beyond belief!! recs overnight

[ucrdem]

16. Gotta hand it to Gumshoe Glenn

he knows how to recycle a story!

Such thrift. Maybe the Kochs will put a little something extra in his stocking this year.

[madokie]

17. Sometimes I think we have a lot of DINO's here, hell I know we do

I remember when that wasn't the case but these last few years since DU got mainstream I've noticed a difference in the caliber of post here. I remember when if you posted some of this shit we see today you'd be tombstoned in a heart beat. Since DU has gone to the ads and all that there has been a definite change in the mood here. It used to be members only paid for this place directly. Not so much anymore. I liked it better when it was that way too.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm even on the right site by some of the shit thats posted.

[Mojorabbit]

18. So do I. The attempts to downplay this topic is just amazing to me. nt

[CheapShotArtist]

19. Sometimes it's easy to forget that I'm still on a Democratic site.

You'd think that with this being a supposedly-Dem website, people here wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions against a Dem President based on old news and hyperbole. But, no. A loud minority of posters eat this shit up, along with the continued scares about O's evil plan to cut the Big Three. These fools act like he is a king and the buck stops with him when it comes to the tracking laws, ignoring the fact that both parties in Congress have voted every 3 or so months to uphold them since Shrub was President. Not saying that I condone the tracking laws by any means, but yeah--start voting for more people in Congress who actually want to undo those laws. Don't just sit on your ass in front of a keyboard all day, whining about it. This type of paranoia and short-sightedness is what I'd expect to see on FreeRepublic or Yahoo, not here. All this recycled scandal is doing is diverting attention away from other issues that matter more to Americans. In fact, there was a positive jobs report yesterday, yet very little attention was paid to that compared to this old ass story.