Clapper Reads From the Bush/Cheney/Nixon Playbook to Fear-Monger Over Transparency (Greenwald)

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. Former NSA chief Hayden praises Obama for “doubling down” on Bush-era spying

Hayden, speaking at an Oxford University lecture


In the 90 minute address, titled “My Government, My Security and Me,” Hayden also stressed that there was little support within US government circles for offering any kind of plea deal to former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Referring to the speech delivered by Obama last month announcing supposed “reforms” to the NSA’s operations, Hayden stated, “The president is essentially trading some restraint, some oversight, in order to keep on doing fundamentally what he has been doing.”

Put in the plainest terms: the government is employing some window-dressing to quell popular outrage over the NSA’s colossal ongoing violation of the Constitution and is also trying to ensure that leaks do not threaten the secret program’s legitimacy in the future. As the WSWS noted at the time, “the only measure that is likely to be enacted is a proposal to institute strict new vetting and security policies designed to prevent anyone from following in the footsteps of Edward Snowden.”

Hayden, a retired four-star general in the US Air Force, was director of the NSA from 1999 to 2005. During this time, many of the domestic spying programs being exposed today were initiated. Following his directorship, Hayden became the principal deputy director of National Intelligence. A post and department formed after 9/11, the office of the Director of National Intelligence integrates all the different branches of intelligence, including those of the separate branches of the military, the NSA, CIA and FBI as well as other agencies. Finally, from 2006 to 2009 he served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/10/edward-snowden-plea-bargain-cia-nsa


"I guess what I am saying is this president, who most people view as being quite different than his predecessor, doubled down on a programme being done under his predecessor. He gave the American intelligence community a pretty big box," Hayden said.
"The president is essentially trading some restraint, some oversight, in order to keep on doing fundamentally what he has been doing."