Obama=Nixon

**Roger Mexico** · 03-13-2014, 09:22 AM

No, really. If I'd been alive in the 70's I'd be worried I was having an acid flashback.

So, for a while there's been a general bipartisan consensus in favor of quietly approving shady and dubiously legal domestic activities by intelligence agencies, but it turns out that elements of the executive branch have also engaged in shady, dubiously legal intelligence activities targeting Congressional officials, so now those officials want to act like it's suddenly a big scandal?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...71f_story.html

Huh, I wonder how that will turn out.

**Anon** · 03-13-2014, 08:39 PM

I feel like events are heading to a point where we should soon be seeing a horse being elected to Senate.

**Hephaestus** · 03-13-2014, 08:45 PM

Yes. It would be good have a senator with some horse-sense.

**floid** · 03-14-2014, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Anon

I feel like events are heading to a point where we should soon be seeing a horse being elected to Senate.

Only the front end of one.
The hindquarters have been abundantly present for decades.

**ferrus** · 03-14-2014, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by Hephaestus

Yes. It would be good have a senator with some horse-sense.

**OrionzRevenge** · 03-14-2014, 05:40 PM

Is anyone at all so naive as to be surprised by this?
really?

Anecdotally, when the Snowden Stink hit about spying on our allies, I watched/read various News organization's expert analysis and to a man/woman they all said that the allies were mostly pissed because the US is just so much better at it.

Machiavellian, the world is Machiavellian. And those that react with child-like innocence in response, very often imperil the things they value most.

In a democracy, dissent (especially on issues of vital geopolitical concern) is most often fueled/financed by forces with the darkest motivations for said democracy. Nixon will be recorded by history for using power to suppress the opposition vis-a-vis the Vietnam War, but let history also not fail to record that the opposition had a lot of Russian Rouges working the Sit-Ins and Russian Rubles paying for the party.

Many in this community praised Snowden, but I would contend that the world is a much more dangerous place because of him, and the current state of Russo-American relations seems to support my assertion.

My attitude is that you pull the lever and elect someone for 2/4/6 years based on how you think they will handle the helm of a Machiavellian Machine.

...or you elect Jimmy Carter Geopolitical Impotency.

**sandwitch** · 03-14-2014, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by OrionzRevenge

Many in this community praised Snowden, but I would contend that the world is a much more dangerous place because of him, and the current state of Russo-American relations seems to support my assertion.

Wasn't a Russia/US clash just as inevitable as the government spying on itself?

**OrionzRevenge** · 03-14-2014, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by sandwitch

Wasn't a Russia/US clash just as inevitable as the government spying on itself?

The snarky short answer would be: Machiavellian Fail.

'Clash' or conflict is the natural state of our relationship. Further, call it 'merica!' 'my country right or wrong', 'USA!', I think the world is a better place when we are in it to win it.

I know your passions are with middle-eastern cultures in strife, and I have read your outrage at US folly and inaction in that regard.

Thus, I put it to you:

Were the Syrians benefited by Snowden's idealism ~ Obama vis-a-vis Putin?

**sandwitch** · 03-14-2014, 09:08 PM

My outrage is not directed at US "inaction"- it's been a player all along, however without exposure to public accountability. I'm not sure how Snowden's actions have made any significant impact on the lives of Syrian refugees or those living in Syria. Some aspects of the conflict have been mediated through Internet communications, but it's too early to attribute any real affects. It has been said that equipment used in some of the Internet black-outs was developed by US companies to allow backdoor interference- make of that what you will. In terms of the larger scale international politics, I'm very skeptical that Snowden has influenced the relations affecting the Syrian conflict.

Exactly what is the "it" that we're trying to win? Another ill-advised foreign invasion?

**OrionzRevenge** · 03-14-2014, 10:46 PM

"It" is the centric interest in prosperity for ourselves by recognizing, for the most part, a rising tide lifts all boats.
Democracy and self-determination are very stabilizing forces for humanity as a whole... but they butter the home baked-bread as well.