"As of yet, there is no evidence that the government was eavesdropping on private conversations of innocent citizens. What we know is that it is a collection of phone numbers that were put into super computers to detect patterns of suspect activity. The Bushies were not using information to destroy their political opponents. The NSA is legitimately obtaining data to thwart terrorists."
"Has it been a mere coincidence that the American homeland has not been attacked since 9/11? It is likely that the hard and innovative work of dedicated patriots at the NSA and other national security agencies has kept our nation safe.
"Yes, the Bushies have been misleading and disingenuous when they stated that they were monitoring only overseas calls. That was technically correct, but left the wrong impression about other domestic activities - data mining. The President's widening credibility gap feeds paranoia even when the Administration might be doing the right thing. However, any President who is leading a covert war that must be fought in the shadows is forced to be somewhat deceptive, even with his own people. ...
"In times of war, there is always a delicate balance between security and liberty. And we must be vigilant that certain lines are not crossed. Keep in mind, however, that great Democratic Presidents such as FDR, Truman, JFK and LBJ approved and implemented far more intrusive intelligence programs in the interest of national security. And the Clinton Administration's Echelon program was similar to the NSA data mining effort."
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