2011-03-23, 06:46 PM
Quote:YouTube Says View Counter Stopped on Drudge-Linked Biden Video to Prevent Artificial Inflation of Count; Says It Will Update Later
(CNSNews.com) - YouTube says the view counter on a video clip that is linked to the highly popular Drudge Report has stopped--at the implausibly low number of 301--because YouTube is following its standard procedure for preventing "artificial inflation of the videos viewcount and ensuring that all viewers that are counted are actual people and not computer programs.
The Drudge-linked video is a clip of then-Sen. Joe Biden appearing on MSNBCs Hardball and telling host Chris Matthews that he stands by his assertion that it would have been an impeachable offense for then-President George W. Bush to attack Iran without prior congressional authorization. Biden states in the clip that were Bush to attack Iran without congressional authorization he would lead an effort to impeach him.
The Drudge Report, which has millions of readers, had a link to the video at the very top of its page for awhile this morning. Later, the link to the clip was moved down to a spot in the Reports left hand column. Nonetheless, the view counter on the YouTube page hosting the video was frozen implausibly at 301 hits.
When CNSNews.com asked YouTube about the frozen viewcount for this Drudge-linked video, YouTube answered by pointing to a statement on its website.
YouTube employs proprietary technology to prevent the artificial inflation of a videos viewcount by spam bots, malware and other means, said the statement. We validate views to ensure the accuracy of the viewcount of all videos beginning with the first view. This validation process becomes publicly visible when the viewcount reaches 300.
At this point, the viewcount may slow or temporarily freeze until we have time to verify that all further views are legitimate, said the statement. Rest assured that the views system is working as intended, and that the viewcount will update as soon as the system has verified the legitimacy of the views.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/yout...ped-drudge
As a second and related article:
Quote:Obama: President Does Not Have Power Under Constitution to Unilaterally Authorize a Military Attackhttp://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-pr...power-unde
(CNSNews.com) - As a presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama (D.-Ill.) emphatically stated that the Constitution does not give the president the authority to unilaterally authorize a military attack unless it is needed to stop an actual or imminent attack on the United States.
Obama made the assertion in a Dec. 20, 2007 interview with the Boston Globe when reporter Charlie Savage asked him under what circumstances the president would have the constitutional authority to bomb Iran without first seeking authorization from Congress.
The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation, Obama responded.
As Commander-in-Chief, the President does have a duty to protect and defend the United States, Obama continued. In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the Legislative branch.
Obama did not seek congressional authorization before joining allies, including Great Britain and France, in taking military action against the regime of Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi in order to establish a no-fly zone over that country. The action was approved by the United Nations Security Council but not by the U.S. Congress.
In a followup question in its December 2007 interview, the Boston Globe asked Obama if the Constitution gave the president the power to disregard a congressional statute putting some type of limit on the way troops could be deployed. Here, too, Obama deferred to the constitutional authority of Congress.
No, the President does not have that power, Obama told the paper. To date, several Congresses have imposed limitations on the number of US troops deployed in a given situation. As President, I will not assert a constitutional authority to deploy troops in a manner contrary to an express limit imposed by Congress and adopted into law.