Sunday, December 22, 2013

This Week with George Stephanopoulos – December 22, 2013


Guests:
Brian Ross
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI)
Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO)
Greta Van Susteren
Bill Kristol
Steve Rattner
Donna Brazile
Matthew Dowd

Stephanopoulos: OMG the President's
panel blasted NSA surveillance!

Ross: they wrote a 300 page document
saying the NSA didn't abuse but the
program doesn't make America safer

Stephanopoulos: that should make for
light holiday reading

Ross: and then a federal judge said
the program was unconstitutional

Stephanopoulos: that's news

Ross: they also said we shouldn't
spy on allies without a good reason

Stephanopoulos: Snowden's friends
say the panel vindicates him
you were on the panel – is that true?

Richard Clarke: no he's still a traitor

Stephanopoulos: welcome Mr. Rogers
how's is going?

Rogers: it's a wonderful day for
surveillance in the neighborhood

Stephanopoulos: will you fight to
keep the metadata haystack?

Rogers: look the panel agreed the
information is important so now
the question is where do we keep it

Stephanopoulos: a lockbox?

Rogers: the phone company isn't
any more protective of privacy!

Stephanopoulos: interesting

Rogers: the phone company isn't
in the business of keeping secrets
really well like the NSA always does

Stephanopoulos: a Bush-appointed federal judge
said that collecting all this information
violates the Fourth Amendment

Rogers: other judges have disagreed – 
hundreds of opinions have said the 
government can collect business records 
and after all phone calls are not personal records

Stephanopoulos: well they're my personal
records held by a business

Rogers: a federal court affirmed this
program as recently as July

Stephanopoulos: should the U.S. give
Ed Snowden amnesty?

Rogers: Ed Snowden has offered to sell
classified information for his own
personal gain – I call that treason

Stephanopoulos: to Brazil?

Rogers: he never used whistleblower
protections – he just fled to free
nations like China and Russia

Stephanopoulos: should we be terrified
of terrorism because of the war on Christmas?

Rogers: Al-Qaeda has affiliates all over
the world and they all aspire to kill people

Stephanopoulos: just like McDonalds

Rogers: this report proves there was
no surveillance or scandal

Stephanopoulos: it does?

Rogers: and they never even talked to
the FBI about how useful Sec. 215 is!

Stephanopoulos: darn it

Rogers: also terrorists want to blow up
people in the United States –
merry fucking christmas

Stephanopoulos: Senator what about the NSA?

Udall: it's all falling apart – the NSA has overreached!

Stephanopoulos: go on

Udall: we must quickly adopt all 46 report recommendations

Stephanopoulos: all 46 of them?

Udall: well I haven't actually read the report yet

Stephanopoulos: is bulk collection of 
metadata Constitutional?

Udall: no it doesn't fit with the requirement
for probable cause

Stephanopoulos: but the law has never required
probable cause for phone records

Udall: Freedom is the right to be
left alone and that includes privacy

Stephanopoulos: what about Ed Snowden?

Udall: I don't care about him

Stephanopoulos: you think he should face charges?

Udall: yes I do

Stephanopoulos: would we be having
this conversation without Snowden's disclosures?

Udall: no – I've been shouting in the wilderness!

Stephanopoulos: what about bulk collection?

Udall: we have to end the bulk collection!

Stephanopoulos: thanks for coming

[ break ]

Stephanopoulos: panel what about the NSA?

Kristol: there was no abuse and no violation
of the law – there was no evidence that
this metadata collection was abused

Van Susteren: I strongly disagree

Kristol: the Supreme Court said
there is no reasonable expectation
of privacy in phone records

Van Susteren: well the Court was wrong
Smith v. Maryland was wrongly decided!

Stephanopoulos: ok

Van Susteren: there is no exception
in the Constitution for when
you're really scared

Rattner: bulk collection may be legal
but it's clear people don't like it

Van Susteren: the Constitution is so clear!

Dowd: Ed Snowden was vindicated –
the pendulum has swung too far
toward the government now 
that a Democrat is President

Van Susteren: the Constitution is so plain!!

Rattner: for 30 years everyone has been wrong?

Kristol: fuck Ed Snowden – Congress
debated this and so did Obama

Dowd: I am very disappointed in Obama!

Stephanopoulos: you worked for Bush
when he was wiretapping Americans
without a warrant!

Dowd: that's different! 9/11!

Brazile: the people don't want this 
level of surveillance

Dowd: Ed Snowden is a hero and didn't kill anyone

Van Susteren: even I don't support Snowden

Stephanopoulos: this is indeed a powerhouse panel


No comments: