“Obama acknowledged the proposals were intended to appease Americans, not curtail surveillance” Allrighty, now. I’m appeased. Aren’t you?
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama made it clear Friday he has no intention of stopping the daily collection of American phone records. And while he offered ‘‘appropriate reforms,’’ he blamed government leaks for creating distrust of his domestic spying program.
In an afternoon news conference, the president acknowledged the domestic spying has troubled Americans and hurt the country’s image abroad. But he called it a critical counterterrorism tool.
‘‘I am comfortable that the program currently is not being abused,’’ Obama said. ‘‘I am comfortable that if the American people examined exactly what was taking place, how it was being used, what the safeguards were, that they would say, ‘You know what? These folks are following the law.’’’
Because the program remains classified, however, it’s impossible for Americans to conduct that analysis beyond the assurances his administration has given.
‘‘Understandably, people would be concerned,’’ the president said. ‘‘I would be, too, if I weren’t inside the government.’’
Obama’s news conference came at the end of a summer that forced the administration into an unexpected debate over domestic surveillance, a debate that soon prompted the most significant reconsideration yet of the vast surveillance powers Congress granted the president after 9/11 attacks.