Talking Back to Obama on the FISA Amendments Act
In 2007 and early 2008, Barack Obama said that he was against the the Protect America Act and the FISA Amendments Act. He said he would filibuster against the FISA Amendments Act.
Then, in June 2008, after winning the Democratic primary contests, Obama abruptly changed course and announced he would break his promise and vote for the FISA Amendments Act.
This has been a heartbreaking blow to Obama's supporters, because the Protect America Act and the FISA Amendments Act represent the worst of the George W. Bush presidency - breaking the law with impunity and violating the Constitution to spy on millions of Americans using high tech electronic networks. The FISA Amendments Act brings George Orwell's Big Brother spy network into reality.
This lens focuses on Barack Obama's treachery in supporting the FISA Amendments Act, and offers a detailed rebuttal to Obama's statement justifying his broken promise.
A Better Bad Bill Is Still A Bad Bill
Rebuttal Point One: Better Badness Is Still Badness
Barack Obama writes in his July 3rd explanation: "I also believe that the compromise bill is far better than the Protect America Act that I voted against last year."
Let's accept for the sake of argument that the FISA Amendments Act is better than the Protect America Act (a dubious claim). So what?
A bad better thing is still bad.
Eating raw sewage is better than eating radioactive raw sewage, but it's still a very bad idea. In the same way, even if the FISA Amendments Act is better than the Protect America Act, it's still a very bad law, and deserves a NO vote.
Read a more detailed rebuttal...
Let's accept for the sake of argument that the FISA Amendments Act is better than the Protect America Act (a dubious claim). So what?
A bad better thing is still bad.
Eating raw sewage is better than eating radioactive raw sewage, but it's still a very bad idea. In the same way, even if the FISA Amendments Act is better than the Protect America Act, it's still a very bad law, and deserves a NO vote.
Read a more detailed rebuttal...
Videos About Obama and the FISA Amendments Act
Documenting the disappointing descent of Barack Obama into the politics of fear
Inspectors General is a lame alternative to full scrutiny
Point Two: Obama praises Inspectors General, but they're toothless tigers
Barack Obama says in his July 3rd statement: "The Inspectors General report also provides a real mechanism for accountability and should not be discounted. It will allow a close look at past misconduct without hurdles that would exist in federal court because of classification issues. The recent investigation uncovering the illegal politicization of Justice Department hiring sets a strong example of the accountability that can come from a tough and thorough IG report."
The reality that Barack Obama is hoping you won't bother to research is that the Inspectors General investigation that he cites as an example of accountability under the FISA Amendments Act actually is a perfect example of a lack of accountability. That Inspectors General investigation of the Justice Department held precisely no one accountable. No one was fired. No one was disciplined. No one in the Department of Justice was held accountable.
Why does Barack Obama think that's a good approach for dealing with George W. Bush's programs to spy on the personal communications of millions of Americans?
Read a more detailed rebuttal...
The reality that Barack Obama is hoping you won't bother to research is that the Inspectors General investigation that he cites as an example of accountability under the FISA Amendments Act actually is a perfect example of a lack of accountability. That Inspectors General investigation of the Justice Department held precisely no one accountable. No one was fired. No one was disciplined. No one in the Department of Justice was held accountable.
Why does Barack Obama think that's a good approach for dealing with George W. Bush's programs to spy on the personal communications of millions of Americans?
Read a more detailed rebuttal...
Repeal the FISA Amendments Act News
Articles from the Repeal FISA blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byNo Promise to End the Spying in 2009
Point 3: Barack Obama suggests he'll keep on spying on you, just like Bush
In his July 3rd statement, Barack Obama says he will vote for the FISA Amendments Act with, "the firm intention - once I'm sworn in as President - to have my Attorney General conduct a comprehensive review of all our surveillance programs, and to make further recommendations on any steps needed to preserve civil liberties and to prevent executive branch abuse in the future."
Look at the details here. Barack Obama isn't promising to repeal the FISA Amendments Act. He isn't promising to end the spying programs. He isn't even promising to follow his own Attorney General's recommendations!
All Barack Obama is doing is saying that he will have a review of the FISA Amendments Act's spying, with recommendations... that he may well completely ignore!
Read a more detailed rebuttal...
Look at the details here. Barack Obama isn't promising to repeal the FISA Amendments Act. He isn't promising to end the spying programs. He isn't even promising to follow his own Attorney General's recommendations!
All Barack Obama is doing is saying that he will have a review of the FISA Amendments Act's spying, with recommendations... that he may well completely ignore!
Read a more detailed rebuttal...
Links to More About the FISA Amendments Act
- Irregular Times on the FISA Amendments Act
- Irregular Times writes in great detail about the FISA Amendments Act
- Repeal FISA Blog
- It's actually a blog focusing on the need to repeal the FISA Amendments Act, not the effort to undermine the original FISA law
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation opposes the FISA Amendments Act with expert technical opinion
- American Civil Liberties Union
- The American Civil Liberties Union offers expert legal opinions about the unconstitutionality of the FISA Amendments Act
- Obama Criticism
- Activist shirts criticizing Barack Obama for his support of the FISA Amendments Act - all made in the USA
- Progressives Against Obama
- Progressive activists who oppose Barack Obama, in part because of his vote for the FISA Amendments Act
