Obama kept in dark about Angela Merkel surveillance?

[kentuck]

Did they keep Bush and Cheney in the dark also? Yeah, we know about that 'plausible deniability", don't we? If the President was kept in the dark, but Bush was fully informed, would you have a problem with that? They say they have been listening to her since 2002? Is this OK because we are protecting our country?


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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/27/nsa-angela-merkel_n_4168476.html

<snip>


The National Security Agency is denying reports that President Barack Obama has been aware of surveillance of German Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2010.

Earlier on Sunday, German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported that Obama was briefed on the operation against Merkel by NSA Director Keith Alexander in 2010, according to U.S. intelligence sources. NSA Spokeswoman Vanee Vines released a statement Sunday afternoon saying the report was false.

"Gen. Alexander did not discuss with President Obama in 2010 an alleged foreign intelligence operation involving German Chancellor Merkel, nor has he ever discussed alleged operations involving Chancellor Merkel," Vines said in the statement. "News reports claiming otherwise are not true."

[MannyGoldstein]

1. "Discuss"

The fact that they didn't state that Obama wasn't notified should end any debate.

[geek tragedy]

2. Except they did.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304470504579162110180138036

[MannyGoldstein]

5. There's a paywall on WSJ. nt

[geek tragedy]

6. The story is all over the Intertubes nt

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

10. And they're sticking to it no matter what.

[geek tragedy]

11. It seems very believable that some Cheneyites embedded in the NSA

would continue this without bothering to inform the President.

[pscot]

3. The "fact" that they didn't state

that Obama wasn't notified, proves that he wasn't notified because otherwise they would have said so. Or something.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

12. The head of the NSA has already been

caught lying, but now we are supposed to believe him?

[kentuck]

4. Any similarities to Reagan...?

...and Iran-Contra?

[Hutzpa]

9. I wouldn't go that far

if I understand you correctly which I think I did ---but will ask you this first before
assuming... Are you saying Obama knew about the spying on Merkel but decided to play ignorance
on the grounds that he won't be found out?

[pscot]

13. Plausible deniability

[BluegrassStateBlues]

7. This is an interesting development, because

further discussion of the topic will reveal who is truly anti-NSA or just anti-Obama.

[Hutzpa]

8. This is the sole reason why I think NSA is a dangerous organisation

there are no oversights, no checks and balances which makes them dangerous to every human beings on earth.

[FreeJoe]

14. I'm not sure which is scarier

A President approving of the NSA spying on the leaders of our closest allies, or the NSA doing it without telling the President. Either way, we've got to fix this stuff before it completely destroys our relationships with other countries.