US intel czars: Everyone spies,
what’s the big deal?
Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN | Oct 31,
2013, 06.32 AM IST
WASHINGTON: Everyone does it and
it's within limits is the defence offered by US intelligence czars in response
to worldwide outrage over acts of American spying, in particular the
eavesdropping on even leaders of its European allies. Testifying before a
Congressional panel on Tuesday, top US
intelligence officials also put their European counterparts in a jam,
disclosing that Washington's Nato allies too collect phone data on
European citizens and share it with the United States.
"This is not information that
we collected on European citizens," Gen Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency told the House Intelligence Committee,
dodging the specific issue of eavesdropping on leaders while referring to
broader electronic surveillance in Europe "It represents information that
we and our Nato allies have collected in defence of our countries and in
support of military operations."
But his colleague James Clapper, director of the National
Intelligence, took the blunt route, saying the US had been spying on friendly
foreign leaders for years, and getting spied on by allies in return.
"That's a hardy perennial as long as I have been in the intelligence
business," he said, explaining that the US
needs to make sure what allies are telling America matches what's going on
behind the scenes.
In fact, Clapper ridiculed the
Europeans, suggested the outrage and surprise expressed by US allies was naive or disingenuous and reminded
him of a line from the movie "Casablanca".
"'My God, there's gambling going on here?' It's the same kind of
thing," he said.
While the proceedings did not
bring any great clarity to the whole business of electronic surveillance, it
set the stage for the usual suspects to formulate new rules of engagement, at
least on the political side. A German delegation and the European Parliament's
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs arrived in Washington for talks on the subject with high US officials.
It's not clear yet how they have taken to Washington's "everybody does it"
argument and disclosures that their own spooks too are part of the surveillance
network.
But going by the tone of the
testimony, American spookdom is unapologetic about its capability, if not its
activity, even as the White House is searching for cover. "It is much more
important that we defend this country and take the beating than it for us to
give up a programme that would prevent this nation from being attacked,"
Gen Alexander said. Clapper backed him, saying, "As Americans, we face an
unending array of threats to our way of life. We need to sustain our ability to
detect these threats."
James Clapper
James R. Clapper
is the director at the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence for the Barack Obama administration, and was an executive director,
military intelligence programs for Booz
Allen Hamilton.
Note: Edward Snowden was
an employee for Booz Allen Hamilton,
and leaked information about the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Robert S. Osborne
is the EVP & general counsel for Booz
Allen Hamilton, and is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago,
Members Directory
Please note: This link for the
members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
William
M. Daley is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, was the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration, and a director at the Boeing Company.
W. James
McNerney Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company.
Boeing Company
is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Barbara G. Fast
was a VP for the Boeing Company, a major
general for the U.S. Army, a VP for
the CGI Group Inc., and is a friend
of Keith B. Alexander.
Keith B.
Alexander is a friend of Barbara G.
Fast, a U.S. Army general, and a
director at the National Security Agency
(NSA).
CGI Group Inc. was
the contractor that developed Healthcare.gov
web site for Obamacare.
Obamacare
is Barack Obama’s signature policy
initiative.
Donna
S. Morea was the EVP for the CGI
Group Inc., and a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Kenneth M.
Duberstein was a VP at the Committee
for Economic Development, is a director at the Boeing Company, and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development, and the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George
Soros is the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society.
Ivo
H. Daalder was a senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), and is the U.S. permanent representative for NATO.
James L. Jones
Jr. was the supreme allied commander – Europe
for NATO, the national security
adviser for the Barack Obama
administration, and a director for the Boeing
Company.
Boeing Company
is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Robert
A. Helman was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), is a partner at Mayer Brown, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Debora de Hoyos
is a partner at Mayer Brown, and a member
of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Rajesh
De was a partner at Mayer Brown,
and is the general counsel for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Boeing Company
is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
William
M. Daley was a director at the Boeing
Company, a partner at Mayer Brown,
the chief of staff for the Barack Obama
administration, and is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
William M. Daley
Professional career
Daley returned to the practice of
law, as a partner with the firm Mayer
Brown (then Mayer, Brown & Platt) from 1993 to 1997.
Cyrus F. Freidheim
Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and was a managing director for
Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
James R. Clapper
was the executive director, military intelligence programs for Booz Allen Hamilton, and is the director
at the Office of the Director of
National Intelligence for the Barack
Obama administration.
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