On Aug 4, 10:08am, Chris Corpuz wrote:
The House and Senate Intelligence Committees, the only watchdogs for the NSA, tend to follow the agency's wishes when they wave the magic "national security" wand.
Reading this, I was reminded that I have rarely seen any mention on the net as to one of the reasons why the "national security" wand is so effective with many politicians. Imagine this: you're a politician. If you're a US politician in particular you will be correctly told that you are, by virtue of your position, a target for a lot of "extremeist" groups and terrorism. You will then be told that one of the main weapons on your side is the tremendous security infrastructure which has been constructed to intercept and prevent acts of violence against the government (ie. you). They'd probably then drop little pieces of information - strictly secret of course to make sure that you treated them with the proper respect - which would leave you with the impression that these guys do such a good job of protecting YOUR ass. They might even have some intelligence showing your name on some documents from some politicial organisation with a violent tendencies, and who wouldn't be a bit worried after that? After this little speech, you'll have had the presence and influence of the various security services entwined with the protection of your very life. It's been personalised for you in a very intimate way, and for most politicians, this is works. It's always worth bearing in mind when you see one of them do an abrupt 180 degree turn after a visit from the spooks. Ian.