Well, it IS April 1 ...

[Hawkmoon]

... so it must be a joke that the President lied to us (again).

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/01/nsa-surveillance-loophole-americans-data

Confirmation that the NSA has searched for Americans’ communications in its phone call and email databases complicates President Barack Obama’s initial defenses of the broad surveillance in June.

“When it comes to telephone calls, nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That’s not what this program’s about,” Obama said. “As was indicated, what the intelligence community is doing is looking at phone numbers and durations of calls. They are not looking at people’s names, and they’re not looking at content.”

Obama was referring specifically to the bulk collection of US phone records, but his answer misleadingly suggested that the NSA could not examine Americans’ phone calls and emails.

Good golly, Miss Molly. What's the world coming to when you can't believe the King of the United States of America?

[makattak]

... so it must be a joke that the President lied to us (again).

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/01/nsa-surveillance-loophole-americans-data

Good golly, Miss Molly. What's the world coming to when you can't believe the King of the United States of America?

When he said it, I knew they had the content of the calls and emails. Watch for the weasel words:

"They are not looking at people's name they're not looking at content."

He didn't say that they were not able to do so. He said they weren't doing so.

That is also a lie, of course, but a much less provable one.

So once it comes to light that they are collecting content and identities, he can say, "I didn't say we didn't have it, just that we aren't looking at it."