Internet's 'Front Page' Calls Out Obama on Spying Hypocrisy

Reddit, an online community that bills itself as "The Front Page of the Internet" is having a field day of sorts on Friday after President Barack Obama defended his administration's spying on American citizens.

Obama made the case for the government's surveillance techniques during a public statement on the new health care law. "What the intelligence community is doing is looking at phone numbers and durations of calls," Obama said. "They are not looking at people’s names and they are not looking at content. By sifting through this so-called metadata, they may identify potential leads with respect to folks who might be engaged in terrorism." He added, "You can’t have 100 percent security and also 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience."

Following Obama's remarks, Reddit user Fluteyoshi posted a 2007 video of then-Sen. Obama in which he attacks anti-terror policies implemented by President George W. Bush. "This administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we provide," Obama said at the time. More of Obama:

"I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining the Constitution and our freedom. That means no more illegal wiretapping 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 but protest a misguided war."

"I like this guy," one Reddit user sarcastically remarked on Fluteyoshi's post. "He should be president so none of this will ever happen." The comment has received 1,800 "points," which are the equivalent of "likes" on Facebook. The video post itself has received 3,700 points.

Reddit is generally made up of a more left-leaning community.

Watch the 2007 video: