The irony, oh the irony.

[Martin Eden]

43. Obama was not misleading in the OP quote, within the actual context.

Let's be fair, and let's be accurate. The OP was a clever but misleading attempt to demonize the president as a hypocrite.

Citizens standing up and speaking out is one thing, and breaking the law by leaking classified information is another. As Chief Executive responsible for national security the president could be in legal trouble himself if he instructed the Justice Department to ignore criminal conduct. At the very least it would create a shitstorm that would sidetrack everything else he's trying to accomplish. He'd gain support in some circles, but he'd be in big trouble in Washington.

That is a significant aspect of the reality of the situation. Now, you can argue that what he's trying to accomplish in other areas (economy, social justice, environmental protection) has fallen short of what you hoped or expected from this president, and that's a good (but different) debate. You could also argue the collection of meta data begun under the previous administration and continued under this one violates the US Constitution the president is sworn to uphold. Ultimately, that is a question for the SCOTUS.

Personally, I think what Snowden did needed to be done. Constitutionally legal or not, the gathering of meta data on American citizens should only be with the informed consent of the governed. Conducted secretly without consent it is ripe for abuse, and as the tentacles of the National Security State reach deeper into our private lives our civil rights & liberties can be threatened.

However, we don't really know what the president personally thinks about this and how much real freedom of action he has in challenging the institutions of the National Security State. I'm not in his shoes, and neither are you.

I try to be a realist in all things, without losing sight of my ideals. President Obama is far from perfect. I've been very disappointed more than once, and I think he has fallen far short of the kind of leadership I thought he would bring to the office. But let's not try to paint him as the devil when we discover he's not a saint.

The OP was IMO a cheap shot that hinders any realistic assessment of this president and of the issue at hand.