--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Barack Obama, in a 2007 stump speech for…" description: "\"“Barack Obama, in a 2007 stump speech for his nascent presidential campaign, had pledged, ‘No more illegal wiretapping of American citizens. No more Na..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/luke-harding-17213_communication_barack-obama-in-a-2007-stump-speech-for_2157594.jpg" --- # Barack Obama, in a 2007 stump speech for his nascent… ![“Barack Obama, in a 2007 stump speech for his nascent presidential campaign, had pledged, ‘No more illegal wiretapping of American citizens. No more National Security Letters to spy on American citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do no more than protest a…” quote by Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/luke-harding-17213_communication_barack-obama-in-a-2007-stump-speech-for_2157594.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/luke-harding-17213_communication_barack-obama-in-a-2007-stump-speech-for_2157594.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/luke-harding-17213_communication_barack-obama-in-a-2007-stump-speech-for_2157594.jpg) > ““Barack Obama, in a 2007 stump speech for his nascent presidential campaign, had pledged, ‘No more illegal wiretapping of American citizens. No more National Security Letters to spy on American citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do no more than protest a misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient.”” [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obama promised to end illegal surveillance of citizens, emphasizing privacy and legal limits on security agencies. **In simple terms:** He wanted to stop unlawful spying on Americans. Key Takeaway Advocate for stronger privacy protections. Themes privacy government accountability civil liberties Mood concerned determined Type political activist When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - citizen rights - government oversight Key Concepts surveillance national security law public trust Questions to Reflect On - How should societies balance security with privacy? - What safeguards can prevent abuse? A Different Perspective Balancing security and privacy is complex; threats may persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-citizens/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [Presidential campaign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidential-campaign/) ## Related quotes > [In every stump speech I give, I speak about the fact that people who dream and achieve enormous success do not make us poorer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/in-every-stump-speech-i-give-i-speak-about-the-fact-that-people-who/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [The problem with modern politics is everybody is doing sound bite stuff. In my stump speech, I give 20 minutes on why I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brat/the-problem-with-modern-politics-is-everybody-is-doing-sound-bite/) [Dave Brat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brat/) > [Nixon is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump for a speech on conservation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-stevenson/nixon-is-the-kind-of-politician-who-would-cut-down-a-redwood-tree/) [Adlai Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-stevenson/) > [The real truth is that the Obama administration is professional at bullying, as we have witnessed with ACORN at work during the presidential campaign.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-voight/the-real-truth-is-that-the-obama-administration-is-professional-at/) [Jon Voight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-voight/) > [ We are seeing Republicans uniting behind this \[presidential\] campaign \[2016\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-are-seeing-republicans-uniting-behind-this-presidential-campaign/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [For Jimmy and me, Iowa holds a special place in our hearts. During his presidential campaign I spent over 100 days in Iowa. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalynn-carter/for-jimmy-and-me-iowa-holds-a-special-place-in-our-hearts-during-his/) [Rosalynn Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalynn-carter/) > [Time magazine interviewed Bill Clinton about the current presidential campaign, and he claimed he had to ask Hillary to marry him three times before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/time-magazine-interviewed-bill-clinton-about-the-current-presidential/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [I am suspending my presidential campaign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-cain/i-am-suspending-my-presidential-campaign/) [Herman Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-cain/) > [Why would there be any contacts with Russian between the presidential campaign? 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I was too strident. I didn't recognize the emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/i-injured-myself-politically-when-i-took-on-jesse-jackson-in-the-1988/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [We need to be more precise in how we talk about these issues. People around the word follow our presidential campaigns so closely, trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-need-to-be-more-precise-in-how-we-talk-about-these-issues-people/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) ## More by Luke Harding > [When I first began visiting West Germany in the early 1980s, I was startled by the contrast between Birmingham, where I went to school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/when-i-first-began-visiting-west-germany-in-the-early-1980s-i-was/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [“Comey had turned away from his upbringing and embraced various kinds of evangelism. He wrote his thesis on how the evangelist teacher Jerry Falwell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/comey-had-turned-away-from-his-upbringing-and-embraced-various-kinds/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [Under the Assads, Kurds were forbidden from learning their own language at school, or even from speaking it in the military. The result is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/under-the-assads-kurds-were-forbidden-from-learning-their-own/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [“The oversight mechanism in the US may have been broken, but in Russia it didn’t exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/the-oversight-mechanism-in-the-us-may-have-been-broken-but-in-russia/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [Strict shopping laws mean that most German shops close on Saturday afternoons, reopening only on Monday when everybody is back at work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/strict-shopping-laws-mean-that-most-german-shops-close-on-saturday/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [“Given Germany’s totalitarian backstory – the Nazis then communists – it was hardly surprising that Snowden’s revelations caused outrage. 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They unplugged the Internet, opened the window and left the phone off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/on-30-june-2010-the-fsb-broke-into-my-office-again-they-unplugged-the/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [There is a long dishonourable tradition of western intellectuals who have been duped by Moscow. The list includes Bernard Shaw, the Webbs, H. G.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/there-is-a-long-dishonourable-tradition-of-western-intellectuals-who/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [Germany's hierarchical reverence for seniority may have something to do with the fact that everything here happens relatively late. Germans start school at six,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/germany-s-hierarchical-reverence-for-seniority-may-have-something-to/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [Taking your clothes off in front of strangers is something of a hobby in Germany, among both men and women, especially in the former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/taking-your-clothes-off-in-front-of-strangers-is-something-of-a-hobby/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [“The encounter demonstrated the difference between newspaper cultures on either side of the pond. In the US, three big newspapers enjoy a virtual monopoly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/the-encounter-demonstrated-the-difference-between-newspaper-cultures/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [My journalistic mission was straightforward: to await the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Nobody knew quite when this would be. But the diplomacy - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/my-journalistic-mission-was-straightforward-to-await-the-u-s-invasion/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [“Snowden’s itinerary does, however, seem to bear the fingerprints of Julian Assange. Assange was often quick to criticise the US and other western nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/snowden-s-itinerary-does-however-seem-to-bear-the-fingerprints-of/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) [Explore all 37 Luke Harding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) ## More American citizens quotes > [Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in bonds of fraternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/let-us-at-all-times-remember-that-all-american-citizens-are-brothers/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [I want to say unequivocally that while I cherish every person who comes from anywhere, who comes here legally and seeks to pursue happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/i-want-to-say-unequivocally-that-while-i-cherish-every-person-who/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [There's been a systematic propagandizing of American citizens for 30 years to make us forget what America is supposed to be and what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/there-s-been-a-systematic-propagandizing-of-american-citizens-for-30/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [We have a bunch of American citizens who step up because that's what we do. We'll step up and go across the world to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-reed/we-have-a-bunch-of-american-citizens-who-step-up-because-that-s-what/) [Ed Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-reed/) > [Having spent 37 years of my life in the military as a reservist, and never having met a gay in all of that time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/having-spent-37-years-of-my-life-in-the-military-as-a-reservist-and/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [“I am a citizen of this country,” I declare, “and Mr. Mayor, tonight I will be a citizen of this city when I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/i-am-a-citizen-of-this-country-i-declare-and-mr-mayor-tonight-i-will/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [Think of the undying glory that hangs around the ancient name of Africa and forget not that you are native-born American citizens, and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-highland-garnet/think-of-the-undying-glory-that-hangs-around-the-ancient-name-of/) [Henry Highland Garnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-highland-garnet/) > [A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/a-large-portion-of-american-citizens-especially-people-of-color-have/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [Our Navy was very largely sunk. And we were at war in no time at all. I share, in retrospect, the distress we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/our-navy-was-very-largely-sunk-and-we-were-at-war-in-no-time-at-all-i/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [As long as my record stands in federal court, any American citizen can be held in prison or concentration camps without trial or hearing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-korematsu/as-long-as-my-record-stands-in-federal-court-any-american-citizen-can/) [Fred Korematsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-korematsu/) > [“It may sound reactionary, I know. But we can all feel it. We've changed the way we think of ourselves as citizens. 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