The lesson of the American Revolution was that this should never happen again, and yet the NSA’s data collection program is the modern equivalent of this practice. President Obama cited Paul Revere in his speech, but Paul Revere rode through the streets to tell us the British were coming — not that the Americans are coming.

In misdiagnosing the problem, the president offers the wrong solutions. The primary question remains, “Can a single warrant be applied to millions of Americans records?” President Obama still says yes.

Even though President Obama assures us “the United States is not spying on ordinary people,” this statement does not jibe with any of his suggested reforms. Plus, we’ve heard these types of assurances before.

Obama saying that his new policy will only examine private information “two steps” removed from the target, as opposed to the current policy of three steps, is no comfort at all. The president might as well be saying we’re only going to abuse the Fourth Amendment twice, not three times.