Don't cry for me Oceania . . .

Funny you should ask . . .

from a speech I imagine had been in the works long before Snowball popped up to help wingers steal a little of Obama's thunder:

Obama Proposes Surveillance-Policy Overhaul
Updated August 9, 2013



The most significant proposal would restructure the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the secret court that oversees surveillance programs in the U.S., to provide for an advocate for privacy concerns.

Mr. Obama is also seeking unspecified reforms to the Patriot Act to increase oversight and place more constraints on the provision that permits government seizure of business records.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324522504579002653564348842.html

Remember Pat Tillman? Who expressed disillusionment in his private correspondence?

He did nothing illegal and his reward for throwing away a pro football career to avenge 9/11 was to get extra-judicially whacked. Personal effects destroyed, sorry mom. End of story.

That's how Bush and Cheney dealt with criticism. Bradley Manning, whose only clearly expressed motive was to give Hillary Clinton a heart attack, committed what amounts to treason, even if he wasn't convicted of it, and his reward has been a perfectly civilized court martial conducted under the full glare of a hostile international press.

That's the difference between legal and illegal and you really should give a flying ratfuck.

Funny you mention Padilla. What exactly did wikileaks "teach" us about Jose Padilla?

Apparently that Bush and Cheney's sadistic criminality was perfectly just and righteous:

If this isn't oversight and accountability, what would you call it?

Here's how I see it so far:

In 4-1/2 years Obama completely transformed the US intel landscape -- for the better. Where once there was opacity and silence there is now transparency and determination to keep fixing problems until everything is all straightened out.

How many internal compliance audits "leaked" out of the Bushler NSA, for example? Do you think they ever bothered to conduct one? Or to answer FOIA requests for incident reports naming Noam Chomsky?

It's a whole new world and Snowball doesn't like it. Neither did Manning. So under bad advice they both thought they'd drop a dime on Obama and bring down the house. Unsurprisingly, they both failed.

Kerry: Drone Strikes In Pakistan Could End Soon

Source: AP via TPM

DEB RIECHMANN August 1, 2013, 3:55 PM 167

ISLAMABAD (AP) — {snip)

Kerry announced the resumption of talks during his first visit to Pakistan as secretary of state. He said the U.S. does not want bilateral relations defined solely by hot-button security issues like counterterrorism and the war in Afghanistan.

“In the last few years we’ve experienced a few differences,” Kerry said, politely understating the testy, roller-coaster relationship with Pakistan. “We cannot allow events that might divide us in a small way distract from the common values and the common interests that unite us in big ways.”

Pakistani officials have been angry about U.S. drone strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan, claiming they violate their sovereignty. They used Kerry’s visit to press the U.S. to stop the drone attacks.

“I think the program will end as we have eliminated most of the threat and continue to eliminate it,” Kerry told the Pakistan TV interviewer. “I think the president has a very real timeline and we hope it’s going to be very, very soon. I think it depends really on a number of factors, and we’re working with your government with respect to that.”

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/kerry-drone-strikes-in-pakistan-could-end-soon.php?ref=fpb