Obama: 'No Problem' With NSA Programs,
Syria Policy 'Consistent Throughout'
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/351332/obama-no-problem-nsa-programs-syria-policy-consistent-throughout-will-allenIn a lengthy interview with PBS's Charlie Rose, President Obama strongly
defended the National Security Agency's recently leaked surveillance
programs, but said a "national conversation" over concerns of privacy and
security is necessary. At one point, he laid out a way in which the
government could abuse the NSA's data-gathering on American citizens,
allowing, all of that is true -- except for the fact that, for the
government under the program right now to do that, it would be illegal."
The president characterized his recent decision to begin sending arms to the
Syrian rebels as "consistent with my policy throughout" the conflict, and
laid out his rationale for the new tactics -- confirmed evidence of
chemical-weapons use and greater knowledge of the opposition changed his
mind, he said.
Among the few points on which Rose pressed his interviewee was the question
of whether the limited American support for the rebellion will be
sufficient to achieve victory -- which the president brushed off with a
disparaging allusion to the Iraq War:
Rose did not ask President Obama about recent revelations that the IRS
intentionally targeted certain conservative organizations and others in
applications for tax exemptions.
The conversation, taped on the eve of the president's departure for the G8
summit in Northern Ireland, chiefly covered foreign-policy topics, from the
Iranian election to the Syrian civil war to Obama's recent meeting with
Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The president used the final minutes of the interview to promise a renewed
focus on income inequality, calling it "the issue that led me to run for
president in the first place." The full interview is available here.
]]> Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:54:51 -0400 Will Allen 351332
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