5 takeaways from Obama's sit-down with Charlie Rose
The president talked national security, Syria, and Dick Cheney in his 45 minutes with the PBS host
National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden spent an hour online on Monday morning explaining his rationale for unveiling government secrets and elaborating on his understanding of how NSA eavesdropping works. On Monday night, it was President Obama's turn, as PBS aired a 45-minute interview conducted by Charlie Rose on Sunday.
Obama and Rose covered a handful of topics, from the war in Syria to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's future (Obama hinted that Bernanke doesn't want another term). But the most-anticipated (and most-discussed) part of the interview was Obama's defense of the NSA surveillance programs (watch above). Here's a look at that segment, plus other highlights from the interview:
1. The president says NSA spying is 'transparent'
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Obama told Rose that the NSA surveillance programs are legal and "transparent," because they are overseen by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act courts and Congress. That definition of transparency raised some eyebrows, and even prompted a little sass from the normally staid Associated Press.
Obama called the programs "transparent — even though they are authorized in secret," says the AP's Kimberly Dozier. The president did add that he has "set up a privacy and civil liberties oversight board made up of independent citizens, including some fierce civil libertarians," to help foster "a national conversation, not only about these two programs, but also the general problem of data, big data sets, because this is not going to be restricted to government entities." But again, Dozier says, that discussion "is complicated by the secrecy surrounding the FISA court, with hearings held at undisclosed locations and with only government lawyers present. The orders that result are all highly classified."
Obama added that the NSA programs are governed by strong checks and balances, but acknowledged that the public has no way of knowing if they're working. Along with setting up the civilian oversight board, Obama said he's also asking the intelligence community to declassify as much as it can without endangering national security. Obama continued:
Obama, too, worried about the programs as a senator and presidential candidate, but insists that seeing them in action, and tinkering with their legal oversight, has "put him at ease," says Brian Resnick at National Journal.
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2. He insists that he's not Dick Cheney
Rose asked Obama to respond to criticism that his administration is "Bush-Cheney lite." And respond he did. "I think it's fair to say that there are going to be folks on the Left" criticizing me, Obama said. "And what amuses me is now folks on the Right who are fine when there's a Republican president, but now, Obama's coming in with the black helicopters." Then he got in a much-quoted riff on Cheney:
3. Syria is a mess with no easy answer
Obama acknowledged that he's ramping up military aid to the struggling rebels in Syria, but argued with Rose's assertion that this is a new policy. Instead, Obama said, the goal is still a prosperous, legitimate, representative Syrian government achieved through political means, but President Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons triggered the prewarned military aid. Obama also said that a stable Syria is in U.S. strategic interests, and dismissed accusations that he was too slow to arm the rebels.
4. Iran's new president could pave the way for negotiations
When Rose asked about Iran's election over the weekend of moderate cleric Hassan Rowhani, Obama sounded pretty upbeat. "The Iranian people rebuffed the hard-liners and the clerics in the election who were counseling no compromise on anything anytime anywhere," he said. "Clearly you have a hunger within Iran to engage with the international community in a more positive way." Does that mean Rowhani is a leader we can do business with? Rose asked. Obama replied:
5. Criticism is a good thing for presidents to endure
Obama told Rose that there's another way he's different than George W. Bush: He embraces criticism. "I think this is a healthy thing, because it's a sign of maturity that this debate would not have been taking place five years ago. And I welcome it. I really do," Obama said:
Watch the entire interview at CharlieRose.com.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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