The Case for Snooping

Obama's liberal critics say his speech on the NSA didn't go far enough. Why they're wrong

Carolyn Kaster / AP

President Barack Obama talks about National Security Agency surveillance, Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, at the Justice Department in Washington.

It's not always true that if you're under attack from both sides of the political spectrum, you're probably doing the right thing. The smart or moral course is sometimes resolutely partisan. But watching President Obama take flak from the left and the right for his speech on intelligence reform, I believe he's striking a difficult balance on a crucial topic.

In his speech, Obama defended the essential structure of U.S. surveillance activities. He argued that the National Security Agency is not a rogue outfit, that it plays by the rules and is staffed by patriotic men and women. But in an...

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