June 27, 2013

"I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker."

Said Barack Obama, noting that he would use "well-established" channels to get Edward Snowden, according to a CNN Breaking News email.

Note the minimizing of Snowden in the expression a "29-year-old hacker." Like he's just a kid who fiddles with computers.

And "scrambling jets" seems to say: Forget that whole drone program I'm so famous for. Or is that what "well-established" channels means?

87 comments:

Crimso said...

I'm glad he said that. For a while there I was really worried about the effects on our reset with Russia when our fighters appeared over Moscow.

m stone said...

ah, petulance.

Chip Ahoy said...

I'm going to make scrambled eggs for a 29 year old hiker was a more interesting sentence to me so I changed it.

That's my new thing -- change the sentences to more appealing ones. Hear what I want to.

Anonymous said...

The Won is an incompetent wuss. That's not only my opinion, but that of the Chinese and Putin. From their perspective, Snowden is the gift that keeps on giving. The Won can only bluster or minimize. He has chosen minimizing, but Snowden wants to extend his 15 minutes of fame...

AllenS said...

Tags: Obama the Blowhard

traditionalguy said...

Emperor Obama has an entire Empire of Media Mind Control to do his will. One mere Legion is not needed when information slander is the king of battle.

The NSA Knows!

And a 29 year old opponent to its ways is a helpful traveling display of how much NSA knows.

Henry said...

I'm not going to scam bling just to get a 29-year-old hooker.

h/t Chip

Tibore said...

So, someone who copies files to a thumb drive is now a hacker? DEF CON attendees just keeled over laughing their asses off.

KCFleming said...

Those grapes were sour anyway.

Anonymous said...

President Urkel.

Anonymous said...

Chips,

I see a flash cartoon in your future. Obi Won telling the Storm Troopers (aka the MSM) that these hackers are not the ones you are looking for :)

Hagar said...

29 is pretty old for a hacker.

I am wondering f Obama is thinking of resigning?
He goes to Northern Ireland and upbraids the Irish about their religious differences, he goes to Berlin and preaches disarmament to Germans watching Putin off to their east, he announces an executive order for his administration to wage war on "King Coal" regardless of his Party's interests, and then departs for a $60-100 million tour of Africa and presumably to pay homage to Nelson Mandela before he dies.
All this while totally ignoring the really serious issues that most other people are worried about at this time, such as our own and the world's economy, a general war possibly breaking out in the Middle East, Afghanistan going dwn the drain, etc., and so forth.

Kind of smells of a legacy farewell tour?

glenn said...

The hacker is being downloaded by people who aren't too keen on the word "No" as we post.

Icepick said...

I'm glad he said that. For a while there I was really worried about the effects on our reset with Russia when our fighters appeared over Moscow.

The Russians have made simulated bombing runs at both Alaska and Stockholm in the last year. We'll just tell them its an exercise.

Icepick said...

I'm going to make scrambled eggs for a 29 year old hiker was a more interesting sentence to me so I changed it.

I actually read i as "scrambled eggs" the first time around. It was very confusing. I shouldn't read things until after breakfast.

Icepick said...

Emperor Obama has an entire Empire of Media Mind Control to do his will. One mere Legion is not needed when information slander is the king of battle.

It also negates the need for ten combat battalions.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

"I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker."

Obama also said “Voting is the best revenge”.

Had Snowden voted for Romney, Would Obama be saying something different?

Bryan C said...

"I was just joshin' with ya, Vlad! You too, China! Ha ha."

Icepick said...

So, someone who copies files to a thumb drive is now a hacker? DEF CON attendees just keeled over laughing their asses off.

Not only that, but Snowden was a SysAdmin - he didn't HAVE to hack anything because the NSA and BoozAllen had helpfully put him at the center of EVERYTHING.

Nice security screening system you've got there, Barry....

(I still suspect that the Obama Campaign had access to all this NSA data last year - they kept bragging about all their data and data mining. Why assume Snowden was the first SysAdmin to take the data and run. Snowden was just the first to do it publicly.)

Icepick said...

President Urkel.

I think that is unfair to Urkel. More like President Carlton Banks.

damikesc said...

So, someone who copies files to a thumb drive is now a hacker? DEF CON attendees just keeled over laughing their asses off.

...that's because they're probably racists or something. :-)

I am wondering f Obama is thinking of resigning?
He goes to Northern Ireland and upbraids the Irish about their religious differences, he goes to Berlin and preaches disarmament to Germans watching Putin off to their east, he announces an executive order for his administration to wage war on "King Coal" regardless of his Party's interests, and then departs for a $60-100 million tour of Africa and presumably to pay homage to Nelson Mandela before he dies.


No. This is what he always wanted to do. The man isn't terribly fond of this country, which is why I am loving Putin telling him to kindly go fuck himself.

Jake said...

He didn't want to scramble jets for the Benghazi diplomats either.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

"I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker."

I think I hear a fallacy there too.

I just woke up and haven't had coffee yet. nor have I have I brushed my teeth.

Maybe I should do that first.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

He didn't want to scramble jets for the Benghazi diplomats either.

Bingo.

Anonymous said...

Are you really implying that Snowden would be an appropriate target for a drone strike? If so, your devotion to national security at the expense of all morality and due process has totally unhinged you.

Larry J said...

Tibore said...
So, someone who copies files to a thumb drive is now a hacker? DEF CON attendees just keeled over laughing their asses off.


Yeah, I'm still waiting for evidence of Obama's alleged intelligence. The man is a dope. He reads nicely from a Teleprompter but I have to wonder who is writing his scripts.

Matt Sablan said...

To think! None of this would have been a problem if he'd not made promises he couldn't keep.

Hari said...

29 is so old that he can't even be covered under his parent's health insurance anymore

Bender said...

A "hacker"?

Yeah, the problem with that is that it is the American public who is being hacked.

Icepick said...

No. This is what he always wanted to do. The man isn't terribly fond of this country, which is why I am loving Putin telling him to kindly go fuck himself.

Yeah, it's Obama as Alex Rodriguez and Putin as Brian Cashman.

Icepick said...

He reads nicely from a Teleprompter but I have to wonder who is writing his scripts.

Well, he does as long as the script does not contain any truly complicated words, such as "corpseman".

Icepick said...

Bender, they're not even bothering to hack the public - they're just making all the telecoms give away the data for free. Or in the case of Google, they're doing it just to fuck with people.

MadisonMan said...

Such an effectual President.

Peter said...

If he doesn't want to scramble fighter jets, perhaps he could scramble a capsule of polonium-210?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvinenko

Peter said...

On second thought, perhaps Putin will do that for him, once Snowden's no longer useful.

Icepick said...

On second thought, perhaps Putin will do that for him, once Snowden's no longer useful.

People keep saying stuff like this, but it makes no sense. Why would Putin want to kill someone that gave him US secrets? He'd want to publicly reward the guy in order to encourage others to do so.

ricpic said...

Why should Obama be shook up about someone who has weakened America's defenses? That's Hussein's very own game plan.

Anonymous said...

Or is that what "well-established" channels means?

I interpreted that statement to mean rendition.

Sorun said...

Julius Rosenberg was just a middle-aged deliveryman and human resources specialist.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Freder Frederson said... Are you really implying that Snowden would be an appropriate target for a drone strike? If so, your devotion to national security at the expense of all morality and due process has totally unhinged you.

Why not? snowden has given aid and comfort to terrorists, he has removed himself to an area where he is outside the reach of US law and it doesn't matter if he is a US citizen or not. He fits the criteria Obama laid out for use on drone kills for USC.

And the bestest part is Obama does not need Congressional authorization or any judges approval.

Brian Brown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The only person left on the planet who is still taken with Obama's bullshit is the supreme leftwing fascist idiot Chris Matthews.

Brian Brown said...

Just like he's not scrambling jets to save an Ambassador under a deadly assault on the Consulate.

Henry said...

I think this Administration really doesn't want Snowden back.

He's already given up his secrets. The water is out of the bag. The cat is under the bridge.

Having to prosecute him would expose the cognitive dissonance.

They would prefer he stay on the lam.

Anonymous said...

snowden has given aid and comfort to terrorists

This statement is not supported by the charges against him or his actions. Even the Espionage Act charges are a stretch as he has not turned over the information (as far as we know) to anyone who could remotely be called an enemy of the U.S.

Astro said...

It's impossible to read that without seeing it as entirely personal to Obama. HIS administration was embarrassed. Never mind whether any laws were broken by Snowden or the NSA or by anyone reporting directly to the drone meister.

jacksonjay said...


he has not turned over the information (as far as we know) to anyone who could remotely be called an enemy of the U.S.

We have enemies? The only enemies that Barry recognizes are Tea Party Republicans and Pro-Lifers! Maybe a Justice or two qualify as enemies!

Mitch H. said...

So 29 isn't adult by Obama measures? What the hell does that even mean?

Why would Putin want to kill someone that gave him US secrets? He'd want to publicly reward the guy in order to encourage others to do so.

But he's gotten what he needs from Snowden, and he could set it up to look like a clumsy American hit. That'd really drop the turd in the punchbowl.

Larry J said...

AprilApple said...
The only person left on the planet who is still taken with Obama's bullshit is the supreme leftwing fascist idiot Chris Matthews.


Now, now. You know that isn't true. There are a lot more "journalists" besides Chris Mathews who still have their heads so far up Obama's ass that if the man ever farted, he'd blow out their eardrums. Besides, it seems pretty evident that Obama believes his own bullshit, too.

Freeman Hunt said...

Who says Snowden would give anything to Putin? I think it more likely that Putin would be taking. And then he'd be done with Snowden, and Snowden would be done.

Bryan C said...

"Why assume Snowden was the first SysAdmin to take the data and run. Snowden was just the first to do it publicly."

I suspect the NSA's just as full of security holes, cavalier disregard for our rights, and outright corruption as the IRS and the DOJ have proved to be.

Freeman Hunt said...

Why set it up to look like anything? Then there are diplomatic and public relations concerns that are complicated and must be managed. More likely that Snowden disappears and everyone claims ignorance. Or, Russia trades him to us for something, but both governments present it as an extradition.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

They would prefer he stay on the lam.

I was having that realization yesterday... but it was a Supremes marathon here, so I didn't get to elucidate it. As opposed to hallucinate it, which would be so much ... Where was I?

Whatever is not good for America seems to be just fine and dandy for Obama.

I mean, Obama left "leading from behind", behind, a long time ago.

We are talking a level of detachment and irresponsibility that we aren't familiar with, even by counterculture "turn on, tune in, drop out" standards.

Roger J. said...

IMO there is not one world leader who trusts POTUS--not one. They have taken his measure and found it wanting. This awareness on their part does not auger well for US Foreign Policy.

Madison Man summarizes the situation in a very few words above.

edutcher said...

His bluff called and having been made to look the fool not only by said hacker, but a couple of Communist dictators he was going to make his best buds, Choom invokes Aesop and the classic story of sour grapes.

Hagar said...

29 is pretty old for a hacker.

I know several who are twice that age.

Freder Frederson said...

snowden has given aid and comfort to terrorists

This statement is not supported by the charges against him or his actions.


AQ has already said what's been made public has changed the way they do business.

Even the Espionage Act charges are a stretch as he has not turned over the information (as far as we know) to anyone who could remotely be called an enemy of the U.S.

He's already admitted the Red Chinese have had a long look at his laptops.

Oh, that's right!

People like Freder think the Reds are the good guys.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Freder Frederson said... snowden has given aid and comfort to terrorists

This statement is not supported by the charges against him or his actions. Even the Espionage Act charges are a stretch as he has not turned over the information (as far as we know) to anyone who could remotely be called an enemy of the U.S.


Of course he has. He told the terrorist what we are doing and what companies are cooperating. that's close enough. Anyway who is to say its a wrong interpretation? There is no oversight or or judicial review. This is what the liberals are supporting. Own it.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

With the handling of Snowden we could, maybe, get a better picture for how Obama leads.

I'm saying we could maybe, because it is the primary job of the MSM to manage Obamas popularity. So, as soon as it begins to appear that Snowden is becoming an embarrassment, they will pull back. And we will stop getting the close-ups that capture Obama doing whatever it is that he does and who he does it with.

Achilles said...

edutcher said...

"snowden has given aid and comfort to terrorists

This statement is not supported by the charges against him or his actions.

AQ has already said what's been made public has changed the way they do business."

They already had a pretty good idea. They knew enough to set traps for us such as luring us to houses that blew up when we went in.

Funny how they knew more than the average American. Seems like Americans are the only people they wanted to keep ignorant.

edutcher said...

We knew how Choom works when Paul Ryan stood up to him.

So far, he's had the media and his gang to hide behind when he backed down.

Now he's got no place. His Alinskyoid tough guy routine ("Get in their faces", etc.) is seen as just that.

This is the crack a lot of people have been expecting.

The next few months are going to be interesting to see who else openly challenges him.

edutcher said...

O Myrmidon, I'm just quoting what AQ had said.

Granted, their knowledge was better than the average American's, but, given how many of their top echelon has been taken out the last few years, I don't doubt for an instant Snowden's revelations have at the very least confirmed some suspicions they've had.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

"I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker."

I'm trying to think of an example where a CEO would say something to cheer up his subordinates and his stockholders in the face of a saboteur. I'm no CEO, so bear with me.

Yea Snowden fucked the company really good, but I'm not going to go out of my way and do this and that to make sure he is punished... I'm just going to go with the established channels for handling this, just the way it has been done in the past... or whatever.

A real confidence booster of a president we have.

Achilles said...

So Obama is setting Snowden up to die. He can't catch Snowden. Then he would have to put him on trial. But he has staked his reputation on catching him. So he has to catch him. This means this can only end up one way. Can he really let Snowden attain asylum and keep telling us all what a fascist piece of shit Obama is? I don't think Obama is as stupid as he acts. But he isn't smart enough to understand that killing Snowden is wrong.

Achilles said...

edutcher said...
O Myrmidon, I'm just quoting what AQ had said.

Granted, their knowledge was better than the average American's, but, given how many of their top echelon has been taken out the last few years, I don't doubt for an instant Snowden's revelations have at the very least confirmed some suspicions they've had.

6/27/13, 9:42 AM

Taliban trade cookie recipes over the phone.

Anonymous said...

He told the terrorist what we are doing and what companies are cooperating. that's close enough.

No, it is simply not "close enough." Treason is a very high bar set by the founders to avoid the abuse of British treason and sedition laws that was rampant in pre-revolutionary America.

There have been exactly zero treason convictions for post World War II activities even when espionage activities involved the direct transfer of government secrets (and much more damaging information) to foreign governments.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

A thought experiment.

Obama says...

Yea, Snowden compromised our security but...

Reagan says...

Yea, Snowden compromised our security but...

The two could not be further apart.

edutcher said...

Achilles said...

So Obama is setting Snowden up to die. He can't catch Snowden. Then he would have to put him on trial. But he has staked his reputation on catching him. So he has to catch him. This means this can only end up one way. Can he really let Snowden attain asylum and keep telling us all what a fascist piece of shit Obama is? I don't think Obama is as stupid as he acts. But he isn't smart enough to understand that killing Snowden is wrong.

I think you mean impolitic.

For people like Choom and so many other Lefties, there is no right or wrong, only winning.

And, in Choom's case, what makes him look bad.

If ValJar and Axelrod would let him, he's try it, but I don't think they're that stupid.

Vlad is gonna keep that kid in cotton batting for a long time. It's like the agreement Khrushchev made Jack Kennedy sign at the end of the Cuban Missle Crisis.

It's the Rubicon; cross it and you'll wish you hadn't

caplight45 said...

He said, "I" when he should have said "we", as in "We are not going to be scrambling jets..." It's always about him. That just grated on me. He is speaking for the entire United States government, armed services and even people. It's not, "I." Have I made my point?

MadisonMan said...

Have I made my point?

We think so.

Anonymous said...

Another Hastings?
He can use Switchblade to surgically detonate an individual.

Anonymous said...

He IS the Commander in Chief, Caplight.

Scott M said...

And "scrambling jets" seems to say: Forget that whole drone program I'm so famous for. Or is that what "well-established" channels means?

Could be more Clintonian legalism here. The President doesn't scramble anyone. He would order a member of the JCS who would give the appropriate order and it would flow directly down the chain of command to the operational wing in question, or, in other words, well-established channels.

That would be the Clintonian aspect of scrambling jets while saying you didn't scramble jets.

Scott M said...

He IS the Commander in Chief, Caplight.

Caplight is correct on this one, Igna.

Darcy said...

Well...phew! That will free up the drones a bit for the Tea Party types. The real terrorists.

Anonymous said...

caplight45 said...
He said, "I" when he should have said "we",

You still don't get it, do you? It's "I". He is the tin pot dictator of the Banana Republic of America. He rules by decrees (executive orders), he persecutes whistle blowers as spies engaging in espionage against the State, he unleashes his IRS attack dogs and NSA snoopers on his enemies, i.e. us who don't agree with him. He cut hot meals to feed our troops in Afghanistan, but spends tens of millions on lavish vacations. His wife travels more lavishly than any queens in history. He practically can do and spend whatever he pleases. Nixon black listed his enemies, he blackmails his enemies.

Anthony said...

Now, if he found out Snowden was a Tea Partier. . . . .

Rusty said...

Well. To be fair he won't scramble them for an ambassador either.

Icepick said...

They would prefer [Snowden] stay on the lam.

He's on the lamb, but he ain't no sheep!

Methadras said...

You may not scramble jets to get a 29 year old, but you didn't' scramble jets to help our folks in Benghazi, but you have zero issue scrambling air force one for your 100 million dollar African vacation while claiming that the sequester is so fucking horrible. Do your lies get the better of your sometimes president monkey? Want a banana?

kentuckyliz said...

He's not going to scramble jets for anyone that makes him look bad and gives evidence for the tyranny narrative.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

The President doesn't want him back. The damage has been done, and prosecution will inevitably look bad.

Far better to let it go.

Larry J said...

John Lynch said...
The President doesn't want him back. The damage has been done, and prosecution will inevitably look bad.

Far better to let it go.


This isn't unheard of in spy cases. The government would rather not have certain information come out in public testimony so they work for a plea deal or something else to avoid going to trial. It'd be interesting if they get Snowden and he refuses to accept the plea bargain. From the government's perspective, it'd be better if Snowden just disappeared.

Lydia said...

Note that Obama made that comment at a press conference in Senegal, during which he also expounded upon his enthusiastic support for same-sex marriage, which didn't go down very well with Senegal's president. So maybe he felt the need for a bit of macho bluster.

Icepick said...

Personally I'd love a public trial of Snowden. The parts where various government and BoozAllen officials have to testify under oath about their security screening procedures would be a hoot!

"Well, you see, we start at the local strip clubs looking for high school drop outs...."

David said...

"I'm not going to scramble jets for some 52 year old ambassador."

Achilles said...

Icepick said...
Personally I'd love a public trial of Snowden. The parts where various government and BoozAllen officials have to testify under oath about their security screening procedures would be a hoot!

"Well, you see, we start at the local strip clubs looking for high school drop outs...."

6/27/13, 3:45 PM

The investigators for clearances and the process are not weak. The first step is the SF86. You get to write down every place you lived, worked, visited for the last 10 years and then you get to describe your family and foreign contacts. Credit checks and all attached bank accounts. Most people would be surprised.

In Snowdens case I don't think he has really helped china or Russia much. Sure he embarrassed Obama but it is pretty clear Obama holds himself separate from the US and I return the favor. They already knew we were hacking their shit.

At this point Snowden is a better American than anyone in this administration or anyone that still supports this administration if you can call those people Americans anymore.

Anonymous said...

Anthony said...
Now, if he found out Snowden was a Tea Partier. . . . .

He would order a killer drone to eliminate him as a member of a domestic terrorist organization. An organization that terrorizes the spineless politicians to hold off limitless spendings.

Amartel said...

He just loves the notion that he could "scramble jets." Military lingo is fun!!

Too bad he couldn't haul his ass out of the rack and scramble jets for Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Ty Woods, and Glen Doherty. Oh, well. Somewhere, somehow, someone in the federal government is screwing up right now. Applause. Laughter. Applause.