Feinstein: NSA phone surveillance 'important' but not 'indispensable'

[Indi Guy]

Source: the guardian

The influential chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee said on Tuesday that the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of American phone records, savaged by a federal judge a day earlier, was not “indispensable” for preventing terrorism.

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who has been a staunch supporter of the National Security Agency, urged the supreme court to determine its constitutionality.

“I’m not saying it’s indispensable,” Feinstein said. “But I’m saying it is important, and it is a major tool in ferreting out a potential terrorist attack.”

Her assessment came a day after Monday’s dramatic ruling from Judge Richard Leon of the US district court for the District of Columbia, who doubted both the constitutionality of the bulk phone records collection and its necessity to stop terrorist attacks...



Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/17/feinstein-nsa-bulk-surveillance-important-indispensable

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[Wilms]

1. I hope your not just saying that.

Because the Constitution is 'important' and 'indispensable'.

[avaistheone1]

2. Story in Sunday's San Jose Mercury News that Feinstein ratings have taken a deep nosedive.

So she probably is worried about her own ass at this point, and as a result wants to show some flexibility on this issue.

[Scuba]

8. DiFi shifts with the gentlest of breezes.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Feinstein -- major tool

I think I got the gist of it.

[brer cat]

4. Very succinct recap, FGM.

[Demeter]

5. Diane Feinstein, unimportant and dispensible

Time to retire, my dear lady.

[warrant46]

6. She needs to retire at age 80 but she's got 6 more years

Her handlers however are auditioning her for the Senate Redux of Weekend at Bernies

[Left Coast2020]

7. Without a doubt, she needs to go

I'm sure a challenger would do well in that election cycle.

[Le Taz Hot]

9. The CDP discourages

all challengers. Their message: "Don't even THINK about challenging her." She was just re-elected in 2012. 'Course it would be nice if the CDP would just stay the hell out of influencing any one Democratic candidate in the primaries but those days are gone. The federal party is doing the same thing with Hillary.