Press Release of Senator Cruz - Sen. Cruz Statement on NSA Phone Surveillance
But on one hand the Obama Administration says this enemy is in retreat, yet on the other, they are implementing what appears to be an unprecedented and intrusive surveillance system on private American citizens in the name of guarding against that enemy. Just today, the president encouraged us to trust him on this – to trust that there are safeguards to ensure our privacy is protected, trust that there is a system of checks and balances to prevent an abuse of power. But in light of this Administration's track record, how can they expect to be trusted?Sheeeh! What is it with supposedly like-minded people who take one little comment and make a false doctrine out of it?We have discovered over the past few months an ongoing pattern of wanton disregard not only for Americans' privacy, but for the truth – DOJ's refusal to be forthcoming about drone policy, IRS's targeting groups for their political beliefs and then misleading the American people about it, DOJ's targeting of journalists for doing their jobs, and now what seems an unprecedented intrusion into Americans' personal phone records and potentially into their broader online activities.
Americans trusted President Obama when he came to office promising the most transparent administration in history. But that trust has been broken and the only way to earn it back is to tell the truth. That's what Americans deserve. I will be working with my colleagues in the Senate who share my concerns to ensure that we have all the facts about these surveillance programs, and that our government is appropriately balancing concerns of national security with Americans' personal liberties.
I don't see anywhere in that press release where Cruz comes out and says the programs were wrong and that the intrusion into people's privacy was wrong. He just said Obama is misusing the authority granted him under the law. Well if the powers are such that the legislation allows them to be misused by one administration then what's to stop them from being abused by a future one? You can't pick and choose which laws apply to which administration. Long and short of it is that if these powers are open to abuse by one president then they shouldn't be allowed to any president.
I hope Ted can stand through all this. I, for one, keep mixing Cruz with Rubio, and admit my sin. Rubio is the devil. Cruz is the Saint.
I first heard of Cruz on Mark Levin’s radio program last year and I had to pull over and listen to every word Cruz said, as he was spot on. I even went home and made a donation to his campaign.
Fair enough. I should have known better than to have gone off half-cocked. Thanks for the context I should have looked up myself.