Obamagate – Watergate on Steroids

In 1974, Richard Nixon became the first (and only) US President to ever resign from the office. Most Americans (of a certain age anyway) know why – Watergate. The scandal took down a President, but sadly, many people have no idea what actually happened.

Here’s the short version. Five men (later connected to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President) were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters located in the Watergate Hotel.  Their purpose? To plant bugs in order to spy on the campaign of the Democratic nominee for President. It was a decidedly low tech operation. They used tape on the door locks and placed bugs in the office telephones. Actually, they were replacing one of the bugs planted previously that failed to work.

When they were discovered, the trail led all the way to the White House itself. The key questions that followed? What did the President know? And when did he know it?

Most Americans were shocked! To think that a sitting US President would attempt to spy on his political opponents? And then actively work to cover up his involvement when it all hit the fan? Outrageous! No one was very shocked when he eventually resigned.

Skip to 2016. Using (abusing) the FISA court, the FBI began a (legal?) process of wiretapping Trump aides and in effect, the nominee himself. A decidedly high tech version of the EXACT same thing Nixon and his campaign were trying to do in 1972. Just like the Watergate scandal, we would eventually learn that multiple federal intelligence agencies were actively involved.

So where is the outrage? Despite indications that President Barack Obama was fully aware of what was taking place, no one seems to care. Why isn’t anyone asking those same key questions? What did the President know and when did he know it? Did he authorize the actions? Did he work to cover them up after the fact?

Now, I know it is too late for impeachment of resignations or any real consequences at this point, but still, shouldn’t someone be held accountable? Or does a sitting President spying on political opponents just not shock us anymore?

Let me conclude with my personal thoughts. I don’t care if you loved Barack Obama or hated him. I don’t care if you love Donald Trump or hate him. If a sitting US President used the power of the federal government to spy on a political opponent, we should recognize it as the greatest scandal in American history. And if you think it’s no big deal for an outgoing President in his last days in office to sabotage (taking out the National Security Advisor and inventing the whole Russian Collusion Hoax) the newly elected incoming President and his administration, then YOU ARE AN IDIOT! Sorry to be so blunt, but seriously? Wake up!