http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/28/politics/white-house-stopped-wiretaps/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
It has recently come to light that German president Angela Merkel has been the subject of some spying and wiretapping by the US. This puts the rock-solid relationship between Germany and the US in some jeopardy. Merkel has said in a statement that she had before conveyed to Obama that "eavesdropping among friends is never acceptable." Wiretapping on Merkel and the leader of Brasil has led to them both drafting a UN resolution to regulate electronic security.
I find it upsetting, not so much that we were wiretapping leaders of countries we're on good terms with (although that is disturbing), but that we're wiretapping leaders of countries we're on good terms with and the president doesn't know about it. I realize that the president is a human being and that he can't possibly be aware of everything that goes on under his command, but wiretapping, specifically the wiretapping of these powerful leaders, seems like the sort of large project he should be aware of. However, this article didn't make very clear how large of a project this spying was, and if it was very small, perhaps it's appropriate Obama didn't know about it. I can't imagine that WIRETAPPING ANGELA MERKEL could have been something so small Obama didn't need to be notified, though.
I suppose that the presidential role was not originally meant to be as powerful and influential in the government as it is now, however, I agree with you because, even disregarding the fact that the presidential role has become more powerful and more influential, the president was always meant to dictate foreign relations to some degree. Thus, it is ludicrous for the President to be unaware of such matters.
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