Putin: NSA surveillance needed to fight terrorism

[joshcryer]

Source: Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) -- President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that National Security Agency surveillance is necessary to fight terrorism, but added that the U.S. government must "limit the appetite" of the agency with a clear set of ground rules.

Putin's comment was surprising support for President Barack Obama's administration, which has faced massive criticism over the sweeping U.S. electronic espionage program.

The Russian leader was speaking at his tightly choreographed annual press conference, a televised affair that stretched on for just over four hours and attracted hundreds of journalists from Russia's far-flung regions to a giant hall in a central Moscow business center.

The Kremlin sees the event as key in burnishing Putin's father-of-the nation image. Some journalists held signs — or in one case a stuffed polar bear mascot for the Winter Games in Sochi — in an effort to get called on for a question that could get special attention for their region.

Read more: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/putin-nsa-surveillance-needed-fight-093437611.html

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"isn't a cause for joy, it's not a cause for repentance either"

Will Putin be cheered for saying it's "not a cause for joy" or derided for saying "it's not a cause for repentance"? Place your bets!

[Ash_F]

1. BWAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

AHHAHAHAHHAH!

[Ash_F]

2. Right wingers are the same in any country. /nt

[Blue_Tires]

3. Well that was weird...

[treestar]

4. Eddie should flee

He's in no better a place.

[L0oniX]

5. Geee whodathunkit? The KGB approves of spying on citizens.

Epic Captain Obvious.

[sendero]

6. Putin.

... I really could not care less about his opinion. Clean up your own unholy mess and we'll worry about ours.

[snot]

7. Yeah, like Pussy Riot.

[grahamhgreen]

8. ....and you're all terrorists.....

[Pholus]

9. So, I'm supposed to be libertarian. Does that now mean the apologists are commies?

Seems to be pretty clear based on their usual fuzzy logic.

[joshcryer]

11. The irony is US courts said it doesn't fight terrorism...

...so Putin basically boxed himself in with that one.

[yurbud]

10. Well played, Putin. That puts our pols in a no-win position

since they are trying to demonize Russia, if they say Putin was right, it shows common ground not tension. If they say Putin was wrong, they would be criticizing themselves as well.

This is the kind of chess Obama was good at in his first campaign, but not so much after.

[joshcryer]

12. We can have our cake.

The US courts find the NSA unconstitutional, then the US can come off as the bigger state and "dismantle" it, pointing the finger at Putin and saying "our system of justice works, though it's not perfect, but you're the one who supports this."

[yurbud]

14. we're the ones who did it, so that accusation would ring a little hollow.

[truthisfreedom]

13. He's just trying to save a ruble.

He gets his intelligence from Ed. Ed gets it from the NSA. Understand? Our tax dollars at work!