the politics of expediency

[The Bush] administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand. I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom.
That means no more illegal wire-tapping of American citizens. No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do nothing more than protest a misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient. That is not who we are. And it is not what is necessary to defeat the terrorists. The FISA court works. The separation of powers works. Our Constitution works. We will again set an example for the world that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers, and that justice is not arbitrary.
- Senator Barack Obama, 2007

so... what you're saying is that you will uphold the Fourth Amendment, about being secure in their persons, papers, and effects, and about searches shall not be made without warrant based on probable cause... your for that... is that what you're saying?

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But I think it's important to recognize that you can't have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience. We're going to have to make some choices as a society. And what I can say is that in evaluating these programs, they make a difference in our capacity to anticipate and prevent possible terrorist activity. And the fact that they’re under very strict supervision by all three branches of government and that they do not involve listening to people's phone calls, do not involve reading the emails of U.S. citizens or U.S. residents absent further action by a federal court that is entirely consistent with what we would do, for example, in a criminal investigation -- I think on balance, we have established a process and a procedure that the American people should feel comfortable about.
- President Barack Obama, 2013

warrantless seizures of personal records, and i'm supposed to "feel comfortable" about that?... i hardly think so... comfort is far from the word i'd use.

abject terror comes much closer.

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source:
Obama's Speech at Woodrow Wilson Center - Council on Foreign Relations - August 1, 2007
Transcript of President Obama's statement on ACA (and answering question on NSA) in San Jose, CA - June 7, 2013