Bob Woodward: NSA Scandal Caused by 'Secret Government'

There is a "secret government" at the heart of the Obama administration which is the cause of a number of highly controversial policies, including the National Security Agency's wiretapping of world leaders, says Bob Woodward of The Washington Post.

Appearing Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," Woodward cited drone strikes against terrorist targets as another example of how a number of government agencies are operating on autopilot, beyond the control of elected officials.

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"They need to review this secret world and its power in their government because you run into this rat's nest of concealment and lies time and time again, then and now," Woodward said.

Because the United States was so intent on stopping terrorism, he said, intelligence agencies have acquired too much power and run amok.

"What's interesting here is the technology that gives us the information about the terrorists is very similar, essentially, to the technology that allows us to get conversations of world leaders on cellphones. And ... somebody's got to look at this and see where it's going," he said, referring specifically to the NSA's phone tapping of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone.

"You get to a point where what do you worry about? Secret governments."

Problems rolling out the Obamacare website also illustrate the point.

"We've got an incredibly powerful government that gets on automatic pilot and you have people with inexperience who don't know about nuts and bolts questions."

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