Media Matters’ recent mashup video of Sean Hannity’s NSA hypocrisy must have struck a chord. Tonight, Hannity called on Rep. James Sensenbrenner, author of the PATRIOT Act, to thread the needle for him and argue that George W. Bush’s NSA data mining without a FISA court approval was legal whereas President Obama’s data mining with FISA court approval is not. Therefore, according to Hannity and his upside-down thinking, his belligerent attacks on those who did not support Bush's NSA data mining and his belligerent attacks on President Obama's data mining were both principled stances. Right.
In case you missed it, the mashup video (the first video below) is particularly damning. In fact, Hannity is seen specifically berating Democrats for being “against NSA data mining.” Then, he is seen saying that the Obama administration’s use of NSA data mining “are a clear, a very clear violation of the Fourth Amendment.” He did not distinguish why he supported data mining under Bush and not under Obama.
Tonight, Hannity began the Sensenbrenner segment with a lengthy clip of Dick Cheney on Fox News Sunday yesterday, defending the PATRIOT Act. Then Hannity brought on Sensenbrenner to argue that the Obama administration’s actions are “both un-American and unlawful.”
It’s not until about 3:40 in the video that Hannity revealed what was likely his real purpose in bringing on Sensenbrenner.
It’s very interesting. There’s a liberal website out there and they said that I’ve changed my opinion. Now, I supported the PATRIOT Act, I support data mining, I support surveillance and I support FISA courts. But I don’t support what the administration did. Am I consistent with what the law is?
So what part of what the Obama administration doesn’t Hannity support? Rather than ask, Sensenbrenner assured him, “You absolutely are consistent and I agree with every one of the points that you’ve made, Sean.”
I’m not a lawyer so I can’t argue against Sensenbrenner’s assessment. But I can clearly see that Hannity supported data mining unequivocally when Bush was president, he opposes it now and has not explained what he sees as the difference. Other than that one president had an “R” after his name and the other a “D.”