Posted on 07/01/2013 8:30:29 AM PDT by USS Johnston
Former President George W. Bush has weighed in on the Edward Snowden saga, telling CNN the former National Security Agency contractor threatened the security of U.S. citizens by leaking information about the surveillance program his administration created after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
"I know he damaged the country," Bush said in an interview from Zambia, where he and his wife, Laura, are on a humanitarian mission. "The Obama administration will deal with it. I think he damaged the security of the country."
Like President Barack Obama, Bush deflected criticism of the spy program.
"I put the program in place to protect the country, and one of the certainties is civil liberties were guaranteed," Bush said in the interview...
Bush also refused to criticize his successor. "It doesn't do any good," he said. "It's a hard job. He has plenty on his agenda and it's difficult. [A] former president doesn't need to make it harder."
The White House said Obama will meet Bush on Tuesday in Tanzania...
He added: "You know, ultimately history will judge the decisions that I made. And I won't be around because it's going to take a while for the objective historians to show up. So I'm pretty comfortable with it. I did what I did."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Too many contradictory statements being made for a rational person to believe.
First they claim that Snowden told our enemies how we were tracking them when Leaky Leahy already did that. Now they tell us that its damaged our security at the same time they tell us that everybody knows everybody is spying on everybody else.
Why don't YOU?? In detail.
And while you're at it, please explain why the 4A no longer applies, 2A is being targeted by Congress, the 1A is being kneecapped, Amnesty is being shoved down our throats as is "Gay" Marriage.
Thanks.
Nobody is actually reading any articles about Snowden, they just read headlines (and maybe the odd clueless ranting blogger) and go on rants.
And people are basically studiously ignoring that it's now apparent that most of what Snowden took deals with NSA spying on foreigners. To acknowledge that would destroy their hero-worship.
Ssssshhhh...That's all "Double-Secret Classified Information"! Leaky Leahy was only HELPING US Security....wasn't he??!? Never mind.
Well, Snowden may have damaged the US, but he has also hurt Obama so those two facts will have to be offset to see if he is a net benefit. Since the US is in enemy hands and is currently helping Islamists, Al Qaeda and Muslims over Christians, along with subjugating its own citizens, Snowden might well be helping save the West.
“Bush on Snowden: ‘He damaged the security of the country’”
Bush: “I destroyed the Constitution to save the country. I destroyed capitalism to save the country too!”
Really, Dubya? What about the Assclown currently occupying the Oval Office? Has national security been damaged by that occupation?
You betcha.
BTTT. I can’t even comment coherently right now about “W”... I’d like my donation money back, plus the Constitution. I don’t know where GW gets off talking about “civil liberties.”
Do you support the collection of the communications of every American in violation of the Fourth Amendment?????
If you and folks like our former president do, then there’s something wrong here????
Secrets have been revealed and there is a national security aspsect to that but getting back to the question.
If the Republican Party insiders support the scanning and collection of all Americans communications then there’s more fuel being added to the fire that may create a third party.
It was George W. Bush that said “Islam is a religion of peace” and its because of that attitude that everybody has to have their bodies scanned and searched in airports and now our communications are being scanned as well.
In Israel this is done to the appropriate groups of people from where the threat is coming.
If the Bush people out there will not respond to this outrageous violation of Consitutional rights from all the information collection by the NSA by opposing it, watch out.
The exodus from the GOP will only be enlarged by it.
I am NOT a supporter of Snowden...but I find it laughable that there is relatively NO FOCUS on the behavior Snowden exposed....which is basically giving Obama a pass.
I guaran-DAMN-tee you that if Snowden were exposing Bush-era behavior, (that is, if BUSH were in office), the FOCUS would not be on Snowden’s misdeeds, but on Bush’s alleged misdeeds.
Obama is doing worse than Bush did in regards to privacy of Americans, and relatively NO ONE in the media or in the government is shining a spotlight on that fact.
She is no longer even remotely trustworthy.
In fact she has become the very engine powering the Axis of Evil.
Poignant but succinct words.
When it's own people regard it with such suspicion, cynicism, and fear, American no longer IS "America." It's become an out of control Police State with a Congress that ignores its Constituency, its Sovereignty, and ironically -- its Border Security.
It is a practice of banana republics for previous holders of executive office to publicly criticize current officeholders.
It is not President Bush's job to take President Obama to task. It was our job to vote him out.
Snowden exposed the trashing of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution.
He also betrayed US intelligence to foreign governments and entities.
That has nothing to do with the 4th Amendment.
No they aren't guaranteed. They have to be constantly fought for and protected.
We've heard reports now of people using that database without warrants.
Oversight is not control. That database is in the hands of the executive and will not be used against ordinary Americans only as long as the Executive decides to play by the rules. The mere existence of that database is a danger to all Americans.
Even though the movie leans a little lib, I have long said “V for Vendetta” is quite the how-to manual.
True.
Where was the vetting of 0blabla back in 2008?
Oversight is not control. That database is in the hands of the executive and will not be used against ordinary Americans only as long as the Executive decides to play by the rules. The mere existence of that database is a danger to all Americans.
Concur 100%. And has zip to do with Bush's cover for 0blabla and the mythical "national security."
He gave Red China external confirmation that we were hacking them, and then he gave them a roadmap to how we were doing it.
That's damaging to national security.
And now he is threatening to release more sensitive information on our foreign intelligence programs unless we agree to his terms.
Do you not understand how contemptible that is?
Not just the 4th, the 5th and 6th, too:
5th -- Your communications are being monitored w/o legitimate due process of law
and thus are testimony against yourself.
6th -- The FISA-court is a closed court where the accused is afforded no defense nor is allowed to be informed of the charges against him.
Ditto. I donated both cycles (primary and general) to the max allowed in 2000. I voted for him in 04, but did not donate. I was already being shell shocked by his unwillingness to defend even the good things he stood for. It got worse.......very demoralizing.
Then a certain BQ convinced me of the illegal immigration mess......
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