Eli Lake, Bloomberg: The Real Political Scandal? Actually, There Are Two
Let me guess. You read about Obama's national security adviser who unmasked the names of Trump associates who were caught up in surveillance and are bewildered that the media is even covering this nothing-burger. It's a diversion from the real story: how the president and his associates collaborated with a Russian influence operation against the U.S. election.
Or perhaps you are sick of hearing about Russia. After all, no one has presented any evidence that President Donald Trump or his team colluded with the Russians. Even James Clapper, President Barack Obama's director of national intelligence, last month acknowledged he saw no such evidence. The Russia story is #fakenews, to borrow a hashtag of the moment. The real story is about the Obama administration's politicization of state surveillance.
Let me suggest that both stories are something-burgers. Depending on where the facts lead, we will know whether Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, was justified in unmasking the names of Trump transition officials or whether the media's obsession with the government's Russia investigation was warranted.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I am not a fan of the author of the above post .... (to me) Eli Lake is a neo-con and never-Trumper who covers national security and defense stories for Bloomberg View. But the concerns that he outlines on the surveillance state are justified .... and it is my must read post for today.
14 comments:
"Basically, it works like this. Some lunatic (in this case, Mike Cernovich, but it could be literally anyone- Jim Hoft, an anonymous poster named IHATEBLACKS at the Free Republic, some random at Red State, the Confederate Wanker Bob Owens, one of the retrograde morons at the Powerline- anyone, really) pukes up some utter nonsense about Susan Rice. It is quickly picked up and amplified by the wingnut noise machine of inplace media sites like the Daily Caller, Red State, Breitbart, WND, etc., ad nauseum.
Then someone in the media will pay attention, in this case Eli Lake, and cover it and give the claim a veneer of respectability. Lake, who last week had to tell his readers he was a fucking idiot for believing the load he swallowed from Devin Nunes has either apparently learned nothing is just a fucking easy lay with a healthy thirst for choad."
https://www.balloon-juice.com/2017/04/05/three-full-shifts-running-round-the-clock-at-the-bullshit-factory/
"From there it creeps into the “respectable” media, like Fox News, the NY Post, the WSJ, etc. That’s when the MSM really has no choice but to cover it, but since they have fired all of the reporters who cover beats and have a deep but narrow purview, it takes them some time to get caught up to speed. Meanwhile, the puke funnel keeps blowing out chunks, and Jake Tapper only has one foot in his HAZMAT suit and is already up to his knees in bullshit.
Additionally, this is another ripe target, for several reasons. First, Susan Rice is a professional and did nothing wrong, but we’re dealing with territory that not a lot of people understand, so it’s super easy to turn “unmasking” into some sort of nefarious deal. "
sounds like somebody is getting a little scared
LMFAO,
After 40 years of fake scandal's, how many Clinyon's in jail?
YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!
LMFAO,
Nunes is under invetigation,
Rice is not.
LMFAO
Jay - you are partially right (that's progress for you..just teasing..read on)
What you conveniently left out is that the surveillance state grew significantly during the Obama administration, while also many rights of the press were reduced, freedom of information act requests denied at record numbers etc. ..on top you have scandals like Merkel being spied on during the Obama administration etc. ..so you have an established pattern for which the Obama administration has to answer. ..ontop - See my previous post on this - you have motives. Now while Trump is a repulsive swine, it's just fair to investigate what happened. After all Democrats and you have been crying for Russia foul play and accused the president of collision (which is a potentially treasonous act)..so calm down a bit, okay? Let the process take its due course, thank you
Collusion. ..damn auto correct :)
LMAO,
You ever look at who voted for the expansion of the National Security Survelliance State, which started it's expansion of powers under Bush 41?
I just love the situational ethical backflips of the Repugs on subjects like this, all dependent on who's ox is being gored.
LMFAO.
Canada is not a real country.
LMFAO
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/04/06/1650369/-Cartoon-The-All-American-Business-of-Human-Incarceration
We're turning 150 this year, not a bad run for not a "real country".
LMFAO,
But thank's for the short form Anzino comment.
Jay - we are both right but it seems you want to ignore that under Obama surveillance issues and freedom of information act and press supression got worse. ..now if you also consider context, ie that 9/11 - a traumatic experience in the American psyche happened during the Bush years, you should see it in a more understanding light towards his actions in the aftermath. .but Obama got even worse despite having several years to digest and take rational distance, and while yes you could argue technology changes etc have permitted this and the increase in drone strikes, and reduced supervision, did happen under Obama (ps I do like Obama much much much more than Trump)
Nunes is facing a Article 18A investigation for releasing classified information with out permission or clearance.
Rice isn't facing any investigation, just a smear campaign in the Wingnutosphere.
For over 30 years, even under the Illegal Kenyan Muslim Community Organizer Usurper, the Republican mantra regarding Civil Liberties other than the 2nd Amendment was:
"If you've got nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear."
I guess Nunes right now, if he's posessed of any introspection, might be regretting some of his 129 votes in support of expansion of the National Security Surveillance State.
Wow,
You should keep writing like that Jay,
You went full frontal tard.
LMFAO
One thing I like about you Anzino, is you are always an optimist.
For 40 years now you have been getting up every day, reading your Wingnuttia and thinking, "today's the day",
Bill's going to jail, Hillary's going to jail, Obama's Kenyan Birth Certificate will be found,
And day after day, usually late at night, you vent your disappointment on the web, give another donation to Wingnut Welfare and stagger off to bed,
Only to wake up the next morning, thinking "today's the day!"
40 years of that disappointment and yet you are still optomistic beyond reason.
LMFAO
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