Ted Cruz attacks Obama for not fully funding NSA spying during shutdown

[enhanced_deficit]

Note: This post has been updated due to ongoing operation #DontBlink considerations.

This is inline with moderate neocon hawk R Ted Cruz's call for quick US invasion military operation for removal of WMDs out of Syria few weeks ago:


Intel Chief: Shutdown Seriously Damages Spying Programs (http://news.antiwar.com/2013/10/02/intel-chief-shutdown-seriously-damages-spying-programs/)

Bulk of Surveillance Workers Dubbed 'Nonessential Personnel'

by Jason Ditz, October 02, 2013

Simultaneously underscoring how every government official is trying to play up the shutdown as particularly harmful to them, and how little Director of National Intelligence James Clapper understands America’s opposition to NSA surveillance, his Senate testimony today focused on how the shutdown has damaged the NSA’s capabilities.
Clapper told the panel that the shutdown had put an estimated 70 percent (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24373300)of the NSA’s “intelligence workers” on unpaid leave. NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander elaborated that this included 4,000 computer scientists and (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/shutdown-damages-national-security-intelligence-chief-article-1.1473915) 1,000 mathematicians.

Clapper went on to warn that the layoff “seriously damages” the ability of spies to protect the United States, devastated worker morale and that the number of employees laid off indefinitely without pay made them inviting targets for foreign spies.

“This is a dreamland for foreign intelligence services,” Clapper warned, saying that it was also dramatically degrading the nation’s global intelligence capabilities.


Pro-surveillance senators criticized (http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/326193-ted-cruz-warns-shutdown-could-allow-for-terrorist-attacks) the move, saying that the DNI’s lawyers should’ve prevented such large-scale layoffs, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R – TX) saying that the shutdown left the US vulnerable to terrorist attack, adding “I don’t believe President Obama should be playing politics with this.”




Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Wednesday that intelligence community leaders' testimony about the impact of the government shutdown was "deeply disturbing," accusing Obama of "playing politics" with national security.

"The person who should be most out front correcting this is our commander in chief, and I don't believe President Obama should be playing politics with this," Cruz said at a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the National Security Agency's intelligence collection. "He should be stepping forward to correct this problem right now."



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/02/ted-cruz-nsa_n_4030847.html

http://news.antiwar.com/2013/10/02/intel-chief-shutdown-seriously-damages-spying-programs/

[ObiRandKenobi]

first of all, obama is playing politics.

second of all, we should defund the NSA.

[ObiRandKenobi]

third of all, stay out of syria.

[enhanced_deficit]

fourth of all, we should figure out iif Ted Cruz is a defender of liberties or not (not right now.. but after gov re-opens. Let Teo-cons do their thing in the meantime).

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

From the article: "...government shutdown was "deeply disturbing..."



Mr. Cruz is deeply disturbing.

[eduardo89]

Where did he say that the NSA domestic spying program should be funded? Please show me a quote.

[enhanced_deficit]

Where did he say that the NSA domestic spying program should be funded? Please show me a quote.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMGMCWzZ4hI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMGMCWzZ4hI

[BuddyRey]

With friends like Cruz, does the liberty movement really need enemies?

[Tod]

bizarro world

[Rudeman]

From the article: "...government shutdown was "deeply disturbing..."



Mr. Cruz is deeply disturbing.


Rand has made similar statements regarding the government shutdown as well. It's because they realize the importance in messaging, the goal is to appear moderate without moderating your positions. I thought people would get that after Ron's 2 campaigns but I guess not.

[puppetmaster]

Where did he say that the NSA domestic spying program should be funded? Please show me a quote.

Yes and he agrees with lyndsy graham......

[enhanced_deficit]

With friends like Cruz, does the liberty movement really need enemies?

Yea.. but just for exercise.
Supporting him in some ways has the ring of Obama supporting certain anti-freedom groups inside Syria to spread "freedom" there.



Rand has made similar statements regarding the government shutdown as well. It's because they realize the importance in messaging, the goal is to appear moderate without moderating your positions. I thought people would get that after Ron's 2 campaigns but I guess not.

Obama appears more "moderate" than Ted Cruz on Syria/ Iran invasions, foreign policy, police state etc.

While Ted Cruz has been teaming up with Lindsey Graham and worst of the worst nuts like John Hagee:



Rand Paul teams with Democrats on bill to curb NSA spying (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/25/rand-paul-teams-with-democrats-on-bill-to-curb-nsa-spying/)
Raw Story-Sep 25, 2013
Four senators at the vanguard of bipartisan efforts to rein in US government spying programs announced the most comprehensive package of ...

[FrankRep]

enhanced_deficit is a propaganda machine pumping out false information against Ted Cruz.


Ted Cruz doesn't support illegal NSA Spying.


Sen. Cruz Statement on NSA Phone Surveillance (http://www.cruz.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=344004)

Contact: press@cruz.senate.gov / (202) 228-7561
Friday, June 7, 2013


WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) today released the following statement regarding President Obama’s comments on the NSA’s gathering of Americans’ private phone records:


We should always be mindful of the need for government to have the tools necessary to keep Americans safe in a dangerous world, where there are enemies plotting to attack us. We have seen the face of that enemy time and again, most recently in the terrorist attacks at Fort Hood, Benghazi and Boston to name a few.

But on one hand the Obama Administration says this enemy is in retreat, yet on the other, they are implementing what appears to be an unprecedented and intrusive surveillance system on private American citizens in the name of guarding against that enemy. Just today, the president encouraged us to trust him on this – to trust that there are safeguards to ensure our privacy is protected, trust that there is a system of checks and balances to prevent an abuse of power. But in light of this Administration's track record, how can they expect to be trusted?

We have discovered over the past few months an ongoing pattern of wanton disregard not only for Americans' privacy, but for the truth – DOJ's refusal to be forthcoming about drone policy, IRS's targeting groups for their political beliefs and then misleading the American people about it, DOJ's targeting of journalists for doing their jobs, and now what seems an unprecedented intrusion into Americans' personal phone records and potentially into their broader online activities.

Americans trusted President Obama when he came to office promising the most transparent administration in history. But that trust has been broken and the only way to earn it back is to tell the truth. That's what Americans deserve. I will be working with my colleagues in the Senate who share my concerns to ensure that we have all the facts about these surveillance programs, and that our government is appropriately balancing concerns of national security with Americans' personal liberties.

###

[TruckinMike]

Rand has made similar statements regarding the government shutdown as well. It's because they realize the importance in messaging, the goal is to appear moderate without moderating your positions. I thought people would get that after Ron's 2 campaigns but I guess not.

Yea, well Ron and Rand didn't get their tutelage under the wing of Bush, the CFR, and JP Morgan either.

[FrankRep]

Rand has made similar statements regarding the government shutdown as well. It's because they realize the importance in messaging, the goal is to appear moderate without moderating your positions. I thought people would get that after Ron's 2 campaigns but I guess not.

Excellent point.

[Christian Liberty]

With friends like Cruz, does the liberty movement really need enemies?

+rep.

[kathy88]

Yea, well Ron and Rand didn't get their tutelage under the wing of Bush, the CFR, and JP Morgan either.

Absolutely right.

[kcchiefs6465]

Partisan theatrics, mostly.

[Brett85]

You can be opposed to the NSA spying program without being in favor of completely defending the NSA. Amash never proposed completely defunding the NSA either. He just proposed limiting their program.

[JK/SEA]

settin' up for a false flag...

[Christian Liberty]

You can be opposed to the NSA spying program without being in favor of completely defending the NSA. Amash never proposed completely defunding the NSA either. He just proposed limiting their program.

What on earth does the NSA do that we should support?

[Brett85]

What on earth does the NSA do that we should support?

I'm not sure. But I'm not opposed to intelligence gathering as long as it doesn't involve warrantless searches and warrantless eavesdropping. I think part of what they do is probably overseas intelligence gathering, which shouldn't have as many limits to it as domestic intelligence gathering.

[Christian Liberty]

I'm not sure. But I'm not opposed to intelligence gathering as long as it doesn't involve warrantless searches and warrantless eavesdropping. I think part of what they do is probably overseas intelligence gathering, which shouldn't have as many limits to it as domestic intelligence gathering.

Why not?

[Brett85]

Why not?

That's the way it's always been. There have always been more limits on domestic intelligence gathering than overseas intelligence gathering. (At least pre-Patriot Act) The protections in the Bill of Rights applies to Americans.

[CPUd]

http://i.imgur.com/1DSZjdH.gif

[John F Kennedy III]

Ted Cruz is obviously NOT a defender of LIBERTY.

[ObiRandKenobi]

enhanced_deficit is a propaganda machine pumping out false information against Ted Cruz.



lol!

[Sola_Fide]

Ted Cruz sucks.

[susano]

Ted Cruz sucks.

Does he?

He sure put that statist bitch Diane Feinstein in her place. He made a fool out of her.

Could it be that there is no individual you would find to your liking all of the time?

[enhanced_deficit]

settin' up for a false flag...

FF stuff should be outlawed by Congress.

[JK/SEA]

FF stuff should be outlawed by Congress.

burp.

do i hear a 'belch'?

[Christian Liberty]

That's the way it's always been. There have always been more limits on domestic intelligence gathering than overseas intelligence gathering. (At least pre-Patriot Act) The protections in the Bill of Rights applies to Americans.

I could be convinced on that if you could convince me that there's any good reason for the government to be spying on other countries. The way I see it all that does is incite blowback.


Ted Cruz sucks.

Indeed.


FF stuff should be outlawed by Congress.

At first I thought you meant me:p







BTW: Right now I see "Be Proud, Join the NYPD" as one of the ads on this site. Are the admins here really OK with that?:p

[NIU Students for Liberty]

The gymnastics that people on here go through on here to defend Cruz is astounding.

[The Free Hornet]

Rand has made similar statements regarding the government shutdown as well. It's because they realize the importance in messaging, the goal is to appear moderate without moderating your positions. I thought people would get that after Ron's 2 campaigns but I guess not.

Don't you mean "3 campaigns"? Or do you only "get" 2 out of 3?

Also, with someone like Cruz, he is either 'useful' or 'not useful'. He is unprincipled and 'good' is off the table. If he were elected President (lol), what would matter is who got him there, TPTB or the liberty movement?

A Cruz might be useful as a partisan or attack dog, but he isn't good and never will be.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

Cruz sure has a big head for a guy who needed to be in one of the few run-off states to avoid losing to a dud like Dewhurst.

[green73]

The gymnastics that people on here go through on here to defend Cruz is astounding.

It's not just Cruz...

[green73]

FF stuff should be outlawed by Congress.

He can be pretty zany but having Congress intervene here on RPF I think is extreme. Just use the ignore option if you don't like his stuff.

[Brett85]

I could be convinced on that if you could convince me that there's any good reason for the government to be spying on other countries. The way I see it all that does is incite blowback.

Even George Washington and the founders believed it was a good idea to have spies in foreign countries. So you're advocating a policy that goes even beyond what our founders advocated.

[green73]

http://i.imgur.com/1DSZjdH.gif

That is the most awesome pic ever.

[amy31416]

enhanced_deficit is a propaganda machine pumping out false information against Ted Cruz.


Ted Cruz doesn't support illegal NSA Spying.




No such thing as illegal spying when it comes to the NSA. They can get warrants from their clown court for anything, even after they've already spied on a person.

[NIU Students for Liberty]

Even George Washington and the founders believed it was a good idea to have spies in foreign countries. So you're advocating a policy that goes even beyond what our founders advocated.

So? They had slaves too.

[Brett85]

So? They had slaves too.

I take it you're an anarchist who opposes national defense. I'm not going to criticize Cruz for supporting national defense. I don't see anywhere in this article where he said that he supported the NSA spying program that Amash tried to defund. People are just making stuff up.

[Brett85]

http://www.cruz.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=344004

We have discovered over the past few months an ongoing pattern of wanton disregard not only for Americans' privacy, but for the truth – DOJ's refusal to be forthcoming about drone policy, IRS's targeting groups for their political beliefs and then misleading the American people about it, DOJ's targeting of journalists for doing their jobs, and now what seems an unprecedented intrusion into Americans' personal phone records and potentially into their broader online activities.

[green73]

Ted Cruz, Leninist
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/ted-cruz-leninist/280074/

Ted Cruz, Goldman Sachs, Bush Relationship
http://www.dailypaul.com/300667/found-it-ted-cruz

[Rudeman]

Don't you mean "3 campaigns"? Or do you only "get" 2 out of 3?

Also, with someone like Cruz, he is either 'useful' or 'not useful'. He is unprincipled and 'good' is off the table. If he were elected President (lol), what would matter is who got him there, TPTB or the liberty movement?

A Cruz might be useful as a partisan or attack dog, but he isn't good and never will be.

I said 2 because a lot weren't around for his first run and this forum was only around for his last 2.

All I'm saying is to not take every comment made as gospel, take it with a grain of salt. How many times have we seen people like Romney or Ryan talk like they were part of the liberty movement when their record indicated the opposite? Did you judge them on what they said or what they did? So why can't the opposite be true? Why can't liberty people talk like moderates to appear moderate while also having a liberty voting record?

[eduardo89]

enhanced_deficit is a propaganda machine pumping out false information against Ted Cruz.

Ted Cruz doesn't support illegal NSA Spying.

Yes, he and Warlord are rabidly anti-Cruz that they resort to lying to try and make him look bad.

[eduardo89]

No such thing as illegal spying when it comes to the NSA. They can get warrants from their clown court for anything, even after they've already spied on a person.

A warrant from an unconstitutional court does not make the warrant or actions undertaken pursuant to the warrant legal or constitutional.

[green73]

A warrant from an unconstitutional court does not make the warrant or actions undertaken pursuant to the warrant legal or constitutional.

Good luck with that.

[amy31416]

A warrant from an unconstitutional court does not make the warrant or actions undertaken pursuant to the warrant legal or constitutional.

The Constitution is irrelevant to this gov't and the NSA. If it's an unconstitutional court, why the hell would they care about the Constitution?

Anyone being charged or prosecuted? No?

It's legal, even if it isn't constitutional.

[Brett85]

It seems to me that there's nothing wrong with government surveillance as long as the government first gets a warrant from a judge. I don't see anywhere here where Cruz said that he supports the warrantless NSA spying program. He just doesn't support completely defunding national security agencies.

[Brett85]

By the way, I've been critical of Cruz's position on Iran and some of his other positions. But I also don't like it when he's unfairly criticized.

[TaftFan]

After I read the title and saw the poster I had no doubt in my mind this was false. Lying never convinces anybody to join your position.

[Brett85]

After I read the title and saw the poster I had no doubt in my mind this was false. Lying never convinces anybody to join your position.

What do you think he was saying? I wasn't completely sure.

[The Free Hornet]

I said 2 because a lot weren't around for his first run and this forum was only around for his last 2.

All I'm saying is to not take every comment made as gospel, take it with a grain of salt. How many times have we seen people like Romney or Ryan talk like they were part of the liberty movement when their record indicated the opposite? Did you judge them on what they said or what they did? So why can't the opposite be true? Why can't liberty people talk like moderates to appear moderate while also having a liberty voting record?

I'm not sure what you mean by "moderate" (and "centrist" would be little better). Maybe "populist" but I don't know how popular his thoughts are except among TPTB. If he's an under-the-radar libertarian, then he's not flying low enough.

But the clearest answer to your question is that "power corrupts", it doesn't cleanse. Action and rhetoric ought to align to get my support. If this means throwing out the occasional good apple in the bushel of bad, so be it.

Frankly, I'm not sure why you even made your point.


"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."

John Philpot Curran

The failure is in us in general, not Ron Paul nor his campaign. That you and FrankRep don't see this is sad.

[TaftFan]

What do you think he was saying? I wasn't completely sure.

"If, God forbid, we see an attack on the United States because the intelligence community was not adequately funded, every member of the committee would be horrified,"

[eduardo89]

The Constitution is irrelevant to this gov't and the NSA. If it's an unconstitutional court, why the hell would they care about the Constitution?

Anyone being charged or prosecuted? No?

It's legal, even if it isn't constitutional.

Oh I agree with you, except that if something is unconstitutional, it is illegal. You cannot have laws that are valid but contradict the Constitution.

But as you say, why the hell would the government care about such a petty issue as constitutionality.

[eduardo89]

It seems to me that there's nothing wrong with government surveillance as long as the government first gets a warrant from a judge. I don't see anywhere here where Cruz said that he supports the warrantless NSA spying program. He just doesn't support completely defunding national security agencies.

That is essentially Rand's position as well. I'd bet Ron even mostly agrees with it. Ron has always said that national defence is the number one duty of the federal government and intelligence gathering and analysis is a big part of that.

That doesn't mean any of the three support unconstitutional spying on American citizens.

[green73]

//

[enhanced_deficit]

In his defense, Ted Cruz as a Christian Zionist is guided by the guiding light of his beliefs that were thrust onto him. Smart people can get away from dogmatic stupidities of their older generation ( no offense to Rafael Ted Cruz senior, hardcore Christian Zionist), but God does not seem to make everyone equally equipped mentally.

[Spikender]

That is essentially Rand's position as well. I'd bet Ron even mostly agrees with it. Ron has always said that national defence is the number one duty of the federal government and intelligence gathering and analysis is a big part of that.

That doesn't mean any of the three support unconstitutional spying on American citizens.

Then again, if you listen to every politician, none of them support unconstitutional spying on American citizens.

Yet it happens all the time.

It's almost as if people can say one thing but really mean something else.

Odd.

[compromise]

In his defense, Ted Cruz as a Christian Zionist is guided by the guiding light of his beliefs that were thrust onto him. Smart people can get away from dogmatic stupidities of their older generation ( no offense to Rafael Ted Cruz senior, hardcore Christian Zionist), but God does not seem to make everyone equally equipped mentally.

Went to Princeton, then to Harvard Law School, then clerked for a Supreme Court Justice -> Some guy on RPF says he's not mentally equipped

:rolleyes:

[enhanced_deficit]

Went to Princeton, then to Harvard Law School, then clerked for a Supreme Court Justice -> Some guy on RPF says he's not mentally equipped

:rolleyes:

Are you serious?? SWC Obama also went to Harvy.

This dude was his Harvard teacher.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dersho-liar.jpg (http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=MbARDP4eXmiByM&tbnid=7fULXGb3r5kuxM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.veteranstoday.com%2F2012%2F01 %2F13%2Falan-dershowitz-attempt-to-destroy-a-memorial-to-martin-luther-king-3%2F&ei=Kh7SUsb8GsahkQebrIA4&bvm=bv.59026428,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNFXXbH95E5oGKxhRkZqDJrUX8oBHg&ust=1389588391353712)

[surf]

Went to Princeton, then to Harvard Law School, then clerked for a Supreme Court Justice -> Some guy on RPF says he's not mentally equipped

:rolleyes:maybe not so much book dumb (though i'd like to point out that folks with similar credentials were behind the Wall Street clusterf#ck, Gulf War part 2, and all that Barry O has done to us)

but dumber than a rock when it comes to liberty and common sense.

I doubt this d-bag could even change a tire.

[fr33]

Went to Princeton, then to Harvard Law School, then clerked for a Supreme Court Justice -> Some guy on RPF says he's not mentally equipped

:rolleyes:

Ted Kaczynski's credentials are even better according to your standards. Did you follow him off the proverbial cliff?

[Wolfgang Bohringer]

Ted Kaczynski's credentials are even better according to your standards. Did you follow him off the proverbial cliff?

In this cspan booknotes video, Jack Cashill proves that even though Barack Obama attended Columbia and Harvard, he is indeed as dumb as a rock:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Decons

Cashill examines the scant evidence of Obama's actual writings and proves that Obama has sub-normal verbal skills--way below what we are told is Ivy league level.

Cashill compares Obama to Bill Bradley who is also as dumb as a rock with a documented SAT verbal score in the mid 400s, but nonetheless had the skids greased for him in the white guy super-athlete affirmative action program. To this day Cecil Rhodes scholar Bradley is still portrayed as a smart Ivy leaguer.

George W Bush has an SAT math+verbal score of 1250 which is near Ivy league level. I don't think he is as book or IQ stupid as everyone thinks and he's probably street smart enough to know the political value of letting his conservative-bully personality run loose and reap the side benefits of having everyone think he's stupid.

I don't think there's any correlation between peoples' IQ/book smarts and their hatred of the state which is all that I think matters.

I don't know anything about Ted Cruz and how book smart he is. All I know is that I like him even less than Rand, Ron Paul's campaign teams, most of the Libertarian Party, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, the 1994 Republican revolutionaries and every other trick that they've cooked up to try to de-libertarian-ize the libertarian movement in the U.S. everytime it flares up. It's possible that Cruz is another moron like Obama and Bradley who was green-lighted through the system but it doesn't really matter.

[jtstellar]

ted cruz isn't very sharp, but can we link articles that are at least in january, jesus, political climate changes so fast these days if you want to regurgitate old news go ahead, but at least say so in thread title