Make No Mistake, Let Me Be Clear: Obama Called for ‘Balance’

In response to But Did He Favor “A Balanced Approach”???!?!!!:

Yes, he did. From the transcript [emphasis mine]:

And given these changes, last month, I spoke about America’s efforts against terrorism.  And I drew inspiration from one of our founding fathers, James Madison, who wrote, “No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”  James Madison is right — which is why, even as we remain vigilant about the threat of terrorism, we must move beyond a mindset of perpetual war.  And in America, that means redoubling our efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo.  (Applause.)  It means tightly controlling our use of new technologies like drones.  It means balancing the pursuit of security with the protection of privacy. (Applause.)

And I’m confident that that balance can be struck.  I’m confident of that, and I’m confident that working with Germany, we can keep each other safe while at the same time maintaining those essential values for which we fought for. 

(Laughter.) Yet the really sad part about the quote above is Obama’s abuse of James Madison–a man who truly did believe in balance, of the checks-and-balances variety, and enshrined those balances in the Constitution. Obama has spent five years overriding Madison’s vision, turning balance into division.