You didn't actually think Obama would let Greenwald testify to Congress about NSA, did you?

Glenn Greenwald's Testimony to Congress Killed By Obama
by Raúl Quintana
PolicyMic July 31, 2013

Four days ago, Representative Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) announced that he was convening an informal bipartisan Congressional hearing to talk about the National Security Agency’s surveillance program. Today, the hearing was canceled because President Obama scheduled a meeting for the same time with House Democrats.
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In an email to Politico, [Glenn] Greenwald responded that "Obama developed a sudden and newfound interest in House Democrats and scheduled a meeting with them for that same time."

Greenwald is not exactly subtle, and the message of the email is very pointed about the president's "sudden and newfound" interest. So is the president simply trying to save face from a hearing that would probably make him look bad among liberals? [...]

Raúl goes on to speculate about other possible reasons for the President's ploy. My take is that Obama had already lost face with Liberals over drone war and related issues. And I don't think there is one genuine Leftist or civil libertarian in the world who has any illusions left about what Obama is. 

Yet it was the American Leftist, law professor and political scientist Stephen F. Diamond who alone pegged Obama during the Democratic presidential primary campaign in early 2008.  After studying Obama's political career up to that point he said that Obama was no Leftist; that he was an authoritarian -- although what specific type, he wouldn't speculate at that early stage. 

"Isn't that just like a Leftist," I observed sarcastically at the time. "When one of their own turns out to be a monster they say, 'Oh that's not a real Leftist.'"  But I listened to Steve despite my grumbling, and made sure Pundita readers heard what he had to say.  I am very glad I did.

The American democracy may be strong enough to survive the Obama presidency, but there are many younger democracies that can count themselves lucky he wasn't born there.

Well, back in 2008 it was a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea because John McCain is as scary in his own way as Obama. 

Onward, in the immortal words of Dave Ronfeldt.


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