"WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department invoked the state secrets privilege Friday to try to stop a lawsuit over Bush-era wiretapping - the first time the Obama administration has done so under its new policy on such cases. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the decision in a California lawsuit challenging the warrantless wiretapping program begun after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Under the state secrets privilege, the government can have a lawsuit dismissed if hearing the case would jeopardize national security. The Bush administration invoked the privilege numerous times in lawsuits over various post-2001 programs, but the Obama administration recently announced a new internal review process in which more senior Justice Department officials would make such decisions." - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet

:( :( :( - Steven Perez

wtf? - Joe The Sausage

We're doomed. Close your browsers and cancel all of your phone services. - Tinfoil 2.0

"yes we can"! another example of the farse that is Obama,the puppet!....sorry...Nobel Prize....is there a prize for being the biggest liar? - ovigia

JESUS H. - Ayşe E.

what flavour is your KoolAid, ovigia? - Joe The Sausage

I'm portuguese, i don't really know if i'm understanding correctly your question,can you elaborate please? Are you asking me what are my political 'colors'? - ovigia

@ovigio: Obama is not as much of a puppet as Bush was. Yes, this is not a good move, but at least Republicans can now not say anymore that Obama is a threat to the US's security. - Rene, Pro Button Pusher

@ovigio: it's a reference to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki... - Joe The Sausage

Obama IS the supreme puppet and is infinitly more dangerous that Bush, because Obama is a smart guy who knows how to talk. you guys must put in your heads something very simple, Democrats and Republicans are the same shit! they defend, protect the same interests, the wall street bankers and the military industrial complex! plain and simple!As the mentor of Clinton, Quigley, once wrote, "…the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can throw the rascals out at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy." and also... "…it should be possible to replace it, every four years if necessary, by the other party, which…will still pursue, with new vigor, approximately the same basic policies." - ovigia

it's exactly what is happening with this administration, they're pursuing, with new vigor, approximately the same basic policies, that were pursued by the Bush's neocons. - ovigia

@ovigio: I agree with you in part. Dems and Reps are indeed serving pretty much the same (corporate) masters. However, Obama is more transparent than Bush's administration was. And Obama's administration is a little more socially responsible as well. - Rene, Pro Button Pusher

How so what exactly? - Rene, Pro Button Pusher

Well, for one, at least they are trying to give everyone health care, that's a big one in my book. - Rene, Pro Button Pusher

How's this "transparent"?! - Andrew Terry

This decision is not transparent, but at least they are transparent about it :P - Rene, Pro Button Pusher

@Rene how can you say Obama is more transparent? He helped passed the FISA Amendment, even before he was elected, so, more surveillence against the american citizens once again against the Constitution, he still uses the definition of "enemy combatant", he sends a letter to the CIA guys saying something like they're doing a great job (this happened about the torture that is STILL carried right now ), more money for the wars, the troops continue to be in Iraq, more troops for the Afghan war, and something that is not discussed on your control media, Obama has his own war,the Pakistan war; he is trying another stunt,the so called pre-crime and it's Indefinite detention, he continues with the TSA lists and now has another one, everybody is a potential terrorist, you still don't have Habeas Corpus, the Northcom, FEMA and XE/blackwater (and others) continues to supress the Posse Comitatus, etc etc....Obama is the ultimate puppet, the one that will bring a corporate dictatorial 'government' to the USA. - ovigia

@ovigia: I respectfully disagree. He is not the ultimate puppet. I am not gonna disagree that neo-con forces are still strong within the government, but I do not get the impression that Obama wants to wage war on the entire world, like Bush, Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld were. And they were a lot more secretive about it. The reason Cheney has spoken more in recent months than in the 8 years he was VP tells a lot.. - Rene, Pro Button Pusher

Rene, small point of correction: the Obama Administration is not trying to "give everyone health care". Even pre-election, he has never publicly supported the so called "single payer" plan, which would basically extend Medicare to all citizens regardless of age or income level. Instead, he proposed mandating that all citizens purchase health insurance if they are not covered by employers (with lots of details on how employers would be required to pay or opt out) and for those who could not afford market-rate insurance, he would establish a government-private partnership program to offer insurance at low cost. There is a big difference between that and "trying to give everyone health care". - Cole Jolley

Questions of transparency and social responsibility...here we go. (I'm not delving into the HC reform debate here, because the subject is wiretapping issues and transparency, but that is a fun topic in terms of social responsibility). Examples are being asked for with regard to "how" is Obama's administration being more transparent. Let's start with the visitor's list at the White House. Let's look at the blog. Let's look at the allowance of the press into every event that has been held -- these things were nonexistent in GWB administration. No, I'm not thrilled about the state privilege decision - and yes, I agree that Reps & Dems are two sides of the same coin (and have been saying that for many years). However, the decisions made by Obama with respect to furthering equality for women, lifting the ban to access to women's health on a global scale (enacted by GWBs admin), signing into law protections against hate crimes toward LGBT community...these are ALL positive things that would never have been seen by the previous administration (and the last one is unprecedented at the federal level). As for the military industrial complex, unlike the previous administration, Obama and his advisors are actually being pragmatic and taking their time before sending troops blindly into harms way, unlike Cowboy Cop Dubya and Shooter Dickie. Yes, I'm critical of the President, but that is because he is a politician and because being critical is the responsibility of every citizen...however, I perceive him to be a damn side better than the previous 8 years of the Reign of Error. - Prosey BUTTONS!

Denise, i believe that the problem resides within perception, that is why he is so dangerous, people all over the world, not just the US americans, specially here in the EU perceives him as a great 'change', but that's not the true, that's not the reality, Obama is just a new FAÇADE, a new mask for the same policies. he has just raised the war budget, he is preparing an escalade on the several wars you guys are in, specially Afghan and Pakistan wars, and what about the new Sturmabteilung (the new brownshirts) that he and Rahm Emanuel are preparing? well better than my rusty english watch what the journalist John Pilger says here http://www.youtube.com/watch... and read what in Salon.com Glenn Greenwald writes - ovigia

I've read Greenwald. :) Pilger is an interesting journalist, and there are certain comments he's made with which I agree. Now...you mention the Sturmabteilung - (I needed no definition *chuckle*) - and I've heard that sort of propaganda time and again in this country...every time a new president is elected actually. I don't buy it, and I'll explain why. What you're referring to is *not* a military organization; rather, there has been a push by Obama to encourage ALL citizens to participate in some form of national (or international) corps (think Job Corps or the Peace Corps) as a way to give back to the community. Our military is all volunteer - not mandatory, except in the time of the draft. Obama's stated desire is to see more civilians in the community volunteer, as well (http://www.serve.gov/) - though not in a military capacity. This is in no way a recreation of the brownshirts (oh my gawd...NO). There is a lot of paranoia and fear-mongering being spread by the far-right on this subject...to the point of absurdity. I defended GWB against this very same type of mentality among people with whom I share opinions (though my thoughts on Dick Cheney are not quite so kind). Trying to convince people that Obama is the antichrist is ridiculous. All politicians operate on a façade - this is not new, nor is it limited to Obama. The responsibility of all citizens is to remain informed - which cannot realistically be done by listening to agenda-based news sources. By listening and reading as much as possible - on matters that are important to each of us as individuals - we can sift through all of the paranoid garbage. I strongly suspect that history is going to shine kindly on Obama...far more kindly than GWB or Reagan, quite frankly - regardless of here in the U.S., or in Europe. - Prosey BUTTONS!

@Cole: your point is well taken. To Europeans it is the same thing, though. Obama wanted/wants universal health care, with a public option in any way, shape, or form (keeping my fingers crossed for the most extreme version, although I'm not hopeful) and if it happens, you could semantically say that Obama has given all Americans health care :-) - Rene, Pro Button Pusher

@ovigia: brown shirts? Really? It sounds more like you have bought into some really bad propaganda (from our lovely fringe right wing movement). Or you have no idea what you are talking about (the war budget is higher now, because Bush kept the two wars outside of the budget - do you understand that significant difference?). Is Obama "dangerous"? Sure, he is more or less as dangerous as any other politician, but he really is not as the big threat you perceive him to be. - Rene, Pro Button Pusher

*nods @ Rene* The problem with trying to equate any current politician in the United States (and most western European countries) with the SA is that the people who do it lack a certain scope of historical context. The weak attempt at a parallel is ludicrous and disparages the actual destruction wreaked by the brownshirts and their follow-on of the SS. I could draw a more accurate parallel with Dubya, based on his/administration's actions - but the same problem applies. For all I dislike Dubby & Dickie, even I don't equate them with that scary and sad segment of history. - Prosey BUTTONS!

well as i said before i'm from Portugal, so i really look for what is happening in the US because the power US has (and because my country is a NATO ally), and because there are things that are being mimicked here in the EU, for instance, the massive web surveillance just like NSA/AT&T are doing, Echelon, the new project of In-Q-Tel for gathering massive quantities of data from everything you do online, social media, blogs (the building of several NSA data centers across the nation) etc; and i compare it to what's going on here, the french Hadopi law, and now the new project of the European Council, the so called Indect (google wiikileaks); we are all entering in some kind of twillight zone of massive surveillance against all citizens, we are coming from a society where you are innocent till proven guilty, to a society where you are guilty till YOU proven innocent, that's why Bush destroyd Habeas Corpus, that's why Obama continues with that policie and extend's it to the so call 'indefinite detention'/precrime. When i criticize Obama i'm criticizing the political leaders of my country and the EU, because they're policies are almost the same. P.S. i do not agree on a duopoly form of politics, if i was a US citizen i would call my self as i do, a libertarian, and i'd never vote for R or D, i would vote for Kucinich, Ron Paul, Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney, this are real changes, not what Obama or some other Democrat or Republican can bring. - ovigia

I am critical of Libertarianism for any number of reasons - but likewise, I don't vote R/D either. I don't vote based on party platforms at all. I am an Independent...and I vote based (at city, district, state, AND federal levels) based on the things that matter to me as a private citizen - I research the candidates as best as I am reasonably able to do and go with my conscience. There are many criticism of the US for the very reasons you note here, and it's not a matter of one individual (like the President...or any individual member of the Congress) - and I tend to lean left. I actually like Kucinich, but Ron Paul is not on my list. I also rather like Sanders...and I dislike my state leaders intensely for their respective policies. I try to not get overwhelmed by the "big picture" - even while doing what I can from the micro scale to benefit the macro...if that makes sense. Also, what you mention here with respect to online - I'm incensed with John McCain (I'm originally from Arizona, and am altogether too familiar with his politics...). - Prosey BUTTONS!