Obama sued over extent of NSA spying
"We don't do this out of disrespect to anyone we do this out of respect to the Constitution," Paul said at a news conference. Paul's class-action suit, filed in federal court in Washington, was spurred by Edward Snowden's public disclosure last year that the NSA had gathered information on nearly every telephone call made in the United States since 2006. At a news conference, Paul called the legal challenge "an important first step" to ending the program that sweeps up numbers and other information known as metadata. With the suit, the son of Libertarian hero Ron Paul, who captured the hearts and minds of millions during his two presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012, is rounding out his political persona through his Libertarian roots and adding another spoonful of political savvy. Paul v Candidate X Paul v Obama in 2014 could be an effective way of helping Paul v the Democratic candidate in 2016, if he runs for President. It's no secret that Paul is considering such a step, but nothing's official yet, Kazinform quotes CNN. "I keep looking at my schedule and I see New Hampshire, I see Iowa, I see South Carolina and I don't understand why I keep going to these states." Paul said Sunday about the three key nominating states on Dallas TV station KXAS's program "Lone Star Politics," according to the Dallas Morning News. Paul has crossover appeal on issues of war and national security that might help him down the road. According to a January poll by Quinnipiac, 48% of American support the phone surveillance program and 47% oppose. Similarly, 48% say it's necessary to keep Americans safe and 46% think it's not necessary. Additional polls show the split does not cut along party lines. And Paul's lawsuit is bursting with politics. Signed on to Paul's lawsuit is anti-establishment political organization FreedomWorks. Representing them is Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's firebrand former attorney general, who lost his bid in November to be Virginia's governor. Paul is also promoting the suit through his political action committee, RandPAC, and while he said the legal move could impact hundreds of millions of people, he is asking 10 million of them to sign on to the class-action suit through his website. Asking for email addresses of class-action participants could be an effective way to increase a list of campaign supporters. "Senator Paul can tap into those that are angry at the NSA and use the large number of class action participants to fundraise for a potential 2016 presidential run," Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said. In a CNN op-ed, Paul stayed away from politics and stuck to the policy prescription. "It's time to hold government officials accountable for their habitual trampling on the Constitution and on our rights as individuals," he wrote. Full story
