Obama: No warrantless wiretaps if you elect me

Sen. Barack Obama slams President Bush's warrantless wiretap program at Dartmouth College in his last public appearance before the polls close here in New Hampshire.

(Credit: Declan McCullagh/News.com )

HANOVER, N.H.--Barack Obama may be leading the Democratic presidential pack in every major poll here, but that didn't dissuade the Illinois senator from a final early-morning rally with the Facebook generation.

Clearly not content to leave their votes to the whims of online politicking, the Illinois senator stepped onto a stage fashioned in a Dartmouth College gymnasium, pulled an index card from his inside jacket pocket, and launched into a familiar set of talking points centered on what has become a familiar theme for his campaign: change and hope.

"My job this morning is to be so persuasive...that a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany, and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Barack," he told a crowd of about 300 Ivy Leaguers--and, by the looks of it, a handful of locals who managed to gain access to what was supposed to be a students-only event.

For one thing, under an Obama presidency, Americans will be able to leave behind the era of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and "wiretaps without warrants," he said. (He was referring to the lingering legal fallout over reports that the National Security Agency scooped up Americans' phone and Internet activities without court orders, ostensibly to monitor terrorist plots, in the years after the September 11 attacks.)

It's hardly a new stance for Obama, who has made similar statements in previous campaign speeches, but mention of the issue in a stump speech, alongside more frequently discussed topics like Iraq and education, may give some clue to his priorities.

In our own Technology Voters' Guide, when asked whether he supports shielding telecommunications and Internet companies from lawsuits accusing them of illegal spying, Obama gave us a one-word response: "No."

(Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and Republican Ron Paul, for their part, came to the same conclusion in our survey.)

Barack Obama's audience at Dartmouth College was receptive but, compared to other political events in the state in the last week, relatively small.

(Credit: Declan McCullagh/News.com )

At the event, which was interrupted for about 10 minutes when a woman in the audience felt faint and was carried out on a stretcher, Obama also spent a few moments on another cause that's important to most of his competitors, regardless of party affiliation: the need to "break from the tyranny of fossil fuels" and the "addiction to foreign oil" in favor of a "green economy" built on alternative sources like solar, wind and biodiesel.

"We are going to save this planet, and you are going to help us do it because you are going to be voting today," he predicted.

Already 5 to 13 points ahead in the polls, depending on which ones you consult, Obama may not have needed to air the tried-and-true speech yet again. And thanks to springlike temperatures--a stark contrast from last week's subzero blitz--New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner reportedly predicted a record turnout of half a million voters before the polls close at 7 p.m. (and a few at 8 p.m.) EST Tuesday.

[Dr. StrangeOne]

Al Qaeda for Obama

[rangerinanm]

The Blind leading the blind...

Gosh, I feel safer already knowing B.O. will be protecting me from eavesdropping on my critically sensitive personal calls. And I'm sure those who were discovered plotting bombings in the US and the UK prior to this enlightened announcement would never have even attempted to communicate (which led to their capture) if they knew a tough guy like B.O. might be approving warrants for wire tapping here and there. I mean would they want to risk plotting with their brothers on phone lines knowing a warrant could appear to tap their lines at any moment?

Head for the bunkers people, this isn't going ot be pretty.

[Lee in San Diego]

Finally

A candidate who respects the Constitution of the United States.

[fafafooey]

Osama for Obama!

Osama says yes! He hasn't been able to attack the US since 9/11 because of that pesky Bush...

Fire up those cell phones boys! Let's talk!

[dayebreak]

They Will Be Farmed Out To Third Parties

Bull. Obama approves of a government law to collect non-public email and Internet identities of U.S. citizens engaged in free speech; specifically all registered sex offenders pursuant to the Murdoch drafted S.431: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s431:

Designated third parties would be able to ban those addresses and identities from their sites.
Because those addresses are free and annonymous, a proposed bill is in the works to force RSOs to register their IP addresses and have third parties monitor the Internet activity associated with those IP addresses.

Obama would be in favor of this because he owes Murdoch; and Murdoch is a piper who likes to get paid.

[bjnovack]

Immunity for Telecomms?

Obama may be beating this drum now, but where was he when Chris Dodd was doing his job in the halls of Congress fighting against Telecomm Immunity and FOR the Constitution and the Rule of Law? Obama didn't take time from the campaign in Iowa for that. Oh no. He would have lost a few votes if he'd taken time out from the campaign trail to actually DO the right thing.

Yes, Obama may be better than many of the alternatives, but until he starts actually acting on what he says, it's all smoke and mirrors.

[ralfthedog]

For 20 years Al Qaeda tried to attack the United States at home...

For 20 years Al Qaeda tried to attack the United States at home and for 20 years they mostly failed. Shredding the Constitution did not stop the attacks. Shredding the Constitution was the goal of the attack.

[sexydarin]

Terrorist inside the us are very happy

if obumble gets elected.