Author Topic: Obama assures Merkel U.S. is not spying on her phone and won't do it again By Andrew Malcolm  (Read 778 times)

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Offline mystery-ak

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http://news.investors.com/print/politics-andrew-malcolm/102413-676403-obama-merkel-nsa-eavesdrop-german-chancellor-cellphone.aspx

 Obama assures Merkel U.S. is not spying on her phone and won't do it again

By Andrew Malcolm
Posted 09:02 AM ET

With the government shutdown out of the way for a few months, intense media and public focus has turned to the fizzled launch of ObamaScare, the new healthcare system that will be doing hardly any of the grand things Obama promised at the start.

Remember, "If you like your current healthcare plan, you can keep it"?

Anyway now President Obama is also in a lot of hot water abroad for embarrassing revelations about ubiquitous American intelligence-gathering operations disclosed by Edward "I'm Just Trying to Help" Snowden.

The former contract employee for the National Security Agency is being asylum-hosted by Russian President Probably for Life Vladimir Putin.

Snowden's disclosures include allegations that the U.S. spies on friendly allied governments and sometimes the actual heads of their government. Our reaction is, "Hope so."

But Brazil's president, Dilma Rousseff, postponed a state visit to Washington in protest this fall.

The European press is very excited at the moment about Americans possibly spying on leaders like French President Francois "Zoot alors!" Hollande and German Chancellor Angela "Achtung!" Merkel.

Remember 2008 when candidate Obama told us the world was going to like America better with him at the helm?

Here's the deal: Pretty much everyone spies on everyone in one form or another, even best friends. That’s because even partners have a way of falling out. Think Saudi Arabia over Obama’s attempted détente with Iran and Obama's erasable red line in Syria.

A few years ago Chinese security agents inspecting their president's plane after an extensive remodeling in Texas discovered tiny microphones embedded in several seat backs.

The American response then was basically, "Gee, how did that happen?" The Chinese may or may not have discovered all the listening devices.

Paul Robinson was Ronald Reagan’s ambassador to Canada, America’s largest trading partner, most reliable historic friend and geographic ally.

A Chicago businessman, Robinson loved to tell the story of his initial CIA briefing. He asked if the CIA spied on even Canadians. “No,” was the reply. “But we do spy on the people we would spy on if we did spy on them.”

Thursday Germany's Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador for an official scolding. To preempt something worse, Obama talked with Merkel by telephone on Wednesday.

The White House description of such calls rarely reveals who initiated the connection. But this time it was most likely Obama on damage-control over widespread reports that the NSA eavesdropped on Merkel's cellphone. As usual, we have the entire White House text below.

White House (So Germans speak Austrian, right?)

White House (So Germans speak Austrian, right?)

Such descriptions typically lack specific details. In this case, though, that's the telltale clue.

For example, read this seemingly clear-cut denial: “The President assured the Chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel.”

Notice the verb tenses in this White House statement: “is not monitoring and will not monitor.”

What's missing there is the key phrase "has not monitored." Sometimes what’s important is what's not said.

In other words, Obama's NSA is not eavesdropping on the German leader and the American president promises not to do it again.

Today, President Obama and Chancellor Merkel spoke by telephone regarding allegations that the U.S. National Security Agency intercepted the communications of the German Chancellor. The President assured the Chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel.

The United States greatly values our close cooperation with Germany on a broad range of shared security challenges. As the President has said, the United States is reviewing the way that we gather intelligence to ensure that we properly balance the security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share.

Both leaders agreed to intensify further the cooperation between our intelligence services with the goal of protecting the security of both countries and of our partners, as well as protecting the privacy of our citizens. ####
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Offline GourmetDan

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For example, read this seemingly clear-cut denial: “The President assured the Chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel.”

Notice the verb tenses in this White House statement: “is not monitoring and will not monitor.”

What's missing there is the key phrase "has not monitored." Sometimes what’s important is what's not said.

In other words, Obama's NSA is not eavesdropping on the German leader and the American president promises not to do it again.

The first question is... Why 'deny' it in such obviously sophistic terms?

Does anyone believe that the whole world didn't come to the same conclusion?


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