One of the most disappointing aspects of the NSA spying revelations has been the number of Republicans who are jumping to defend the program.  Chief among them is Mike Rogers, the Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.  (H/T Newsbusters)

Mike Rogers says that if an American has “concerns,” then you can go to “the committee” or to an “IG” who will deal with it in a “classified way.”  Two problems are immediately apparent.  The committee, as Mike Rogers just implied, knew all about this little “program” and thinks it’s just dandy.  What would be the point of coming to Rogers and company?  Next, if the IG deals with it in a “classified way” it means that the public never gets to know what happened, doesn’t it?  Isn’t that the point of the “whistleblower” laws?  And do we really want the agency that committed the violation of law and the Constitution to investigate itself?  Exactly what result would we expect from that, that the NSA will issue a report admitting what they did and finding fault with themselves?

My favorite quote of this video is this one:

Taking a very sensitive classified program that targets foreign persons on foreign lands

This is where Mike Rogers, a supposed Republican, loses all credibility.  The NSA warrant for the Verizon seizure specifies

all call detail records or ‘telephony metadata’ created by Verizon for communications (i) between the United States and abroad; or (ii) wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls.”

How exactly are calls “wholly withing the United States, including local telephone calls” involving “foreign persons on foreign lands?”  Is Mike Rogers really that ignorant of what’s going on or is he just lying?   Either way, it’s obvious that his reassurance on this subject is not to be trusted.

And as it turns out, Congressman Rogers might have an self-serving motive for his defense of the indefensible.

One of the top advocacy groups for the FBI has endorsed Michigan Republican Congressman Mike Rogers – chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a former FBI agent – to succeed Robert Mueller as FBI director after he steps down this fall.

One could be persuaded to wonder if Congressman Rogers is in love with lots of spying power because FBI Director Rogers might want to use it.  It certainly wouldn’t help his chances with is prospective boss, Barack “Transparency and Teleprompters” Obama if he went after his prospective boss’ administration on this issue, would it?

Mike Rogers is the poster child for conservative distrust of the Republican Party.

When it comes to choosing between the Constitution and himself, Mike Rogers appears to choose Mike Rogers.

Welcome to the Bush-Obama White House: They’re Spying on Us

The “Bush-Obama era” will be long remembered for curbing the Constitution.

It’s Fournier’s contention that the Obama administration’s blanket seizure of all Verizon phone records, but specifically records from within then United States is somehow not Obama’s doing, or at least not only his doing.

Welcome to the era of Bush-Obama, a 16-year span of U.S. history that will be remembered for an unprecedented erosion of civil liberties and a disregard for transparency.

Of course it has been the liberal standard from day one of the Obama White House to blame former president Bush for everything Obama does or tries to do that backfires on them, from continuing to destroy the economy to Fast and Furious.  Now it’s Obama’s ever-expanding federal power, which apparently even liberals like Fournier can no longer stomach defending.  The fact that Bush hasn’t been president for almost four and a half years is no barrier to this buck passing.  Here’s how it usually works.

1. Obama didn’t do it.
2. Obama’s people did it, but Obama didn’t know.  He just found out by reading it in the paper, like you and I did.
3. Obama did it, but it was for a good reason, which we’re all too dumb to understand.
4. Republicans did it first.
5. Republicans did it more.
6. Republicans made Obama do it (my personal favorite).

Substitute “Bush” for “Republicans whenever convenient.

There’s a problem with Fournier’s argument, and that is that it’s mostly made up of lies or at best, half-truths.

Example:

Liberals who criticized Bush are less incensed with Obama. Republicans who bowed to Bush are now blasting Obama.

Sorry, Mr. Fournier, but conservatives were not happy with a lot of things Bush did post-9/11 the Patriot Act and said so.  For example, we were against the TSA, which was pushed by Democrats to ensure more unionized federal workers.  Bush was dumb to agree.  We thought the establishment of Homeland Security as a cabinet post was adding more redundant government, and we especially didn’t like making Tom Ridge, a notorious RINO, it’s first director.  Conservatives who actually paid attention at the time know that your characterization of us and conflation with “Republicans” (not the same thing) is typical liberal revisionist history.  It’s obvious by the fact that you use “liberals” but not “Democrats” in the same sentence you use “Republicans.”

On the other hand, liberal reaction to Obama is to sort of protest, but not really want to do anything about Obama’s actions, which, unlike Bush’s, actually infringe on people’s rights and specifically target Americans and especially Obama’s political opposition.  He says as much:

Most trust their president. Many approve of his job performance.

There is no such qualifier for Bush.

Obama’s Police State Tactics Do Not Stem From Bush Policy…And Fournier Knows It.

Bush never used the IRS and other agencies to systematically target his political opponents.  Bush never used Homeland Security to target a specific block of Americans within the borders of the United States..who also conveniently happen to be his political opponents: gun owners, veterans, Tea Party groups, Christians, etc.  Bush never said it was legal to kill Americans with drones on American soil.

Even the Verizon phone records seizures do not come from Bush policy.  Under Bush, FISA warrants were used to track call to or from the U.S.. to or from suspected or known terrorists outside the U.S.  The calls had to end or originate from a foreign country, and involve someone under surveillance for terrorism.

Under Obama, they just take all the records, and they make sure to get all calls, even those entirely within the U.S….and from everyone, regardless of whether or not the caller is under any specific suspicion of terrorism or anything at all.

The order states says Verizon “shall produce to the National Security Agency (NSA) upon service of this Order, and continue production on an ongoing daily basis thereafter for the duration of this Order … an electronic copy of the following tangible things: all call detail records or ‘telephony metadata’ created by Verizon for communications (i) between the United States and abroad; or (ii) wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls.”

…(a) government watchdog, the Center for Constitutional Rights, condemned the report of the unprecedented NSA surveillance.

“As far as we know this order from the FISA court is the broadest surveillance order to ever have been issued: it requires no level of suspicion and applies to all Verizon subscribers anywhere in the U.S.,” the group said. “It also contains a gag order prohibiting Verizon from disclosing information about the order to anyone…

There is a giant gap between anything Bush ever did to fight against foreign terrorism and what Obama does to target American citizens…any citizens he feels like targeting.  Ron Fournier know this.

But like all liberals, he cannot admit that his Messiah is a liar when he says he’s transparent or that his actions are those of an Orwellian dictator.  He must find a way to make it a Republican’s fault, and preferably the liberal’s most hated recent Republican, George W. Bush.  If Fournier and his liberal ilk were to admit The One is wrong, it would bring into question their worldview of Obama supremacy.  Unlike conservatives, who worship God and their principles regardless of specific people, liberals worship government and Obama as its figurehead.  Shatter that image, and you shatter the liberal.

A note to Ron Fournier and liberals everywhere:  George W. Bush hasn’t been president for almost four and a half years, and Obama has initiated every action he’s taken under legislation (if any) that he either initiated or expanded himself and/or his own executive orders, which he loves to use to bypass Congress whenever possible.

It is long past time to stop hiding Barack Obama behind George W. Bush and blame him for his own actions to destroy or ignore the laws and Constitution of the United States of America.  George W. Bush tried to protect America from terrorists; Barack Obama is only interested in protecting himself from us.

UPDATE:

Apparently when I said the NSA order demanded everyone’s Verizon phone records, I was wrong.  They only demanded them for Americans.

This Order does not require Verizon to include telephony metadata for communications wholly originating and terminating in foreign countries.”

That is certainly comforting.

Chris Christie, the darling of the establishment GOP, has just stabbed his “friends” in the back by setting the special election to replace the late, unlamented Frank Lautenberg this October instead of November 2014.  He also refuses to appoint a replacement, which is within his right.

This is Christie at his RINO best; it’s all about him, and everyone else get can go urinate up a rope.

Christie could easily appoint a Republican to replace Lautenberg until next year, giving the GOP an extra vote in the Senate and a better chance to hold the seat in the next election, the sort of partisan switch no Democrat governor would hesitate to make.  That would make him more popular with his party, but probably anger New Jersey liberals who have to reelect him this year.  So he’s punting to the electorate.  Smart move for his future, but a stick in the eye to national Republicans hoping for a chance to take back the Senate next year.

Christie could have scheduled the election for next year, which would have given the GOP time to field a candidate.  Now there will be no time, especially given that New Jersey is heavily Democrat and any Republican has to overcome that and a crooked New Jersey Supreme Court that changes election law whenever a Democrat is in danger of losing.  A Republican would need a lot of extra time to raise funds and build name recognition.  Thanks to Chris Christie, that’s not going to happen.

Why is the governor so bent on giving the advantage to Democrats while sticking it to his own party?  He thinks he can force the GOP to send him to the White House as the next establishment “moderate” candidate:

Mr. Christie, a Republican, is up for re-election in November and hoping to secure a huge victory margin, which he could then use to accelerate his drive to present himself as a presidential candidate with broad appeal even in a blue state.

I don’t normally agree with the New York Times on anything, but they’re right on the money with this one.

Christie is even going back on his own crusade for consolidation of elections and his reputation as a deficit hawk to do it this way.

In his press conference, Christie said the state will pick up the tab for the elections, but he doesn’t know how much taxpayers will end up paying. “I don’t know the price tag and quite frankly I don’t care,” Christie bluntly said.

Perhaps the establishment GOP will finally stop coddling the blimp from the blue state whose inflated ego only serves himself and treat him like the traitorous RINO he really is.  Unfortunately, this is the same group of geniuses who still insist Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney were all great candidates, so there’s not much hope for any epiphanies from them.

UPDATE:

Just in case the GOP actually starts to get what Chris Christie really is, Salon wants to make sure they don’t…but even while trying to pretend Christie’s really a conservative (no, seriously, he really is, Salon claims), they can’t help but make my point:

Chris Christie in swimming in Democratic money as he runs for reelection. His Democratic opponent, Barbara Buono, is ignored by the national press and the sort of people that would usually be writing checks for the Democratic challenger to a Republican governor in a large, liberal state.

Hugging Barack Obama was maybe the best political decision New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ever made…

Here’s a hint, RNC and GOP:  When liberals mega-donors are paying someone’s way and liberal pundits and reporters are carrying his water in the press, he might not be that ideal Republican after all. See above references to “epiphanies” and your history of pushing out RINO candidates for further instructions.

This September 9, it will be California’s 163rd anniversary as a state.  Back in 1850, the state was without electricity.  Most people spoke Spanish.  There were gunfights in the streets.  Not much has changed, but at least back then women had real breasts and men didn’t hold hands.

Sad, funny,…..and unfortunately almost entire accurate.

Beyond Afghanistan, we must define our effort not as a boundless “global war on terror,” but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America.

Today Obama gave a speech at a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honor our nation’s fallen (ironically just after he failed to return a Marine guard’s salute just days ago) in which he said this:

America stands at a crossroads, but even as we turn a page on a decade of conflict, even as we look forward, let us never forget as we gather here today that our nation is still at war.

Does the president even pay attention to what he’s saying?  And if this apparent contradiction is deliberate – that is to say the war on terror is over but we are still at war – then one question urgently requires an answer:

With whom is the president at war?

With the recent revelations of the government’s agencies being used to harass and intimidate conservative groups and individuals across this country and Obama’s insistence that using drones to kill Americans on American soil without charge or trial is perfectly legal, that is one question that Americans should demand an answer to sooner rather than later.

The IRS’ explanations for everything they’ve done are easily proved to be lies.

Citizens United caused huge surge of applications for 501(c)(4)s? Lie. The law was already in place, for one. Second, even if that were true, then why did only conservative groups get delayed while liberal groups were given easy approval? If it was about volume, shouldn’t everyone have been delayed?

They were trying to weed out groups violating the law. Lie. You can’t “violate” anything until your status is approved. If they had audited the groups after they were approved that might have made sense, but again see above.

There was no political motive. Lie. Again, see above.

It was just some “rogue” people in Cincinnati. Lie. Offices several places have been proven to be involved, including Washington, D.C., where some of the letters that came were on the personal letterhead of the division chief running the whole thing.

They didn’t know until the IG report came out. Lie. Emails and documents prove that it was known about for well over a year, and again, since it was run out of D.C., people at the top obviously knew about it.

Obama didn’t know. Lie. We’re expected to believe that everyone including his chief of staff and counsel knew but didn’t tell him, and that the head of the IRS employee union (also an Obama supporter and donor, just like most IRS employees) just happened to meet with Obama the day before everything started.

It’s all lies, and it’s just part of the whole thing. The IRS, EPS, FBI, ATF, Interior, Energy, OSHA…every possible agency is being used in a coordinated effort to destroy anyone trying to block the Marxist agenda.

We’re not paranoid conspiracy nuts. They really are working together, and they really are out to get us.

This is what comes of the government encouraging everyone to become a snitch on everyone else.  Examiner.com reports that Daniele Perazzi, President of Perazzi Shotguns, a high-end shotgun company, was arrested while arriving at a gun show in Denver…because his taxi driver reported him as a terrorist.

“He loaded prototype shotguns into the cab on the way to the Merchandise Mart,” gun rights activist and newly-elected National Rifle Association Director Steve Schreiner, who is attending the event this weekend, told Gun Rights Examiner this morning. “The cab driver notified law enforcement he suspected he had a terrorist in his cab, and they were waiting to intercept him, evidently oblivious to the fact that he was arriving at a highly-publicized area gun show.

So now, thanks to government’s profiling of gun owners as terrorists, Americans are reporting anyone with a gun as a “terrorist.”  This is the Land of the Free turned on its head.  Bear in mind, also, that Mr Perazzi was dressed as someone in his position typically dresses and openly loaded his prototype shotguns into the taxi.  How many terrorists has anyone heard of wear expensive suits and load their guns  into taxis?  Wouldn’t a terrorist be just a bit more likely to drive his own car so as not to “tip off” anyone by showing his guns?  A little common sense would have gone a long way here.

To add insult to injury, after releasing Mr. Perazzi and his shotguns, the Denver PD “advised” him to leave the state immediately.

…reports have emerged that he was ordered by law enforcement to leave the state by nightfall…

Where is the legal authority to order someone to leave a state because he was legally transporting firearms to a trade show?  First of all, city police have no authority to order you to leave even their own city, much less the state.  But now they have taken it upon themselves to “advise” someone to get out of town for daring to….do nothing illegal?  And listen to the reporters justifying it and, of course, bringing up Dick Cheney for no apparent reason.

There is clearly a concerted effort in this country to harass those who choose not to bow to PC pressure on the issue of guns and choose instead to exercise their constitutional rights.  Reportedly, Mr. Perazzi plans legal action.  Let us hope so.  Maybe if these people and the taxpayers who clearly support this kind of idiocy and tyranny have to pay out a few million dollars, they’ll think twice about doing this again.

This is the height of shamelessness.  This man, a racist who has led an agency which commits racially-based prosecutions (or refuses to prosecute based on race), which gives cover for Obama’s law breaking, which refuses to enforce laws Obama doesn’t want enforced and generally serves as an arm for the left has the nerve to tell someone else their conduct is unacceptable and shameful?  It’s the hallmark of a tyrannical administration filled with power-hungry Marxists who operate without conscience and without limits to their conduct.

If the Republicans don’t finally stand up and do something concrete, this country is finished.  Freedom cannot stand when dictatorial power goes unchecked.

Here’s an example:  Obama has run up more deficits and debt than any president in history, but Obama is always somehow against the debt.  He’s always about fighting to balance the budget, even though he repeatedly proposes $1 trillion deficits year after year.  And what does the public believe?  Obama’s the great budget hawk.

And he’s doing it up gangbusters again this month.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve finally seen the Benghazi issue break out in the news.  Obama’s response?  He didn’t know about it.  It was the State Department’s fault or the CIA’s fault or (the real laugher) the Republican House’s fault.  But he’s all about finding out what happened and fixing the problem if there is one.

Then conveniently the IRS persecution of conservative groups was suddenly thrust forward supposedly by the media.  Never mind that this was going on a year ago and the media never showed any interest then.  Obama’s IRS targeted conservative and pro-Israel groups for harassment.  Liberal groups had their tax exempt statuses approved while conservative groups did not…for over two years.  Obama’s response?  He didn’t know about it, but he’s certainly very upset about the whole thing, don’t ya know.  And boy, if he finds out it’s true somebody’s going to pay.  But not him, because he only found out about it when he read it in the paper, just like you and I did.

On the heels of this comes the DOJ’s seizure of two months of Associated Press phone records.  The White House’s response?  Don’t talk to us…that’s Justice’s area.  We didn’t know anything about it.  The president doesn’t interfere in things like that.  AG Holder for his part says it wasn’t him; it was one of his deputies.  He also claims he’s “not sure” how many times his department has done this.  In other words, Holder is trying out the Limbaugh Theorem too.

We’re expected to simply accept that the “smartest” president to ever come down the pike is always ignorant of what’s going on in the departments he’s the chief executive of.  And when he finds out they’ve done wrong, why, he’s just as outraged as we are!  We can all expect Obama to take immediate and forceful action to remedy the problem.  Once again, the policies come from him, but he’s not responsible for anything.  It’s as if he comes down from behind his podium and faces back up at his own press secretary and indignantly demands answers, just one of the regular people.

The low-information voter buys it.  The press buys it and typically fawns all over Obama for his noble stand to save us from his own government and the problems he himself insisted on creating.  David Axelrod says government’s just too big for poor little Obama to know about or control.

It’s like watching an episode of The Outer Limits.

The fact is that Obama is the president, which makes him chief executive of the federal government.  The departments of State, Justice and the Treasury all answer to him, and he sets their policies.  He is the cause of their actions and he is responsible for them.  He doesn’t get to act like some kind of consumer advocate trying to get us a refund on bad service.  He is the bad service.

It’s far past time the public and our so-called leaders like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell held him accountable for his either outright lies to the public and the breaking of laws or for the simple ignorance and incompetence he pretends to suffer from.

But I wouldn’t hold my breath.