Did Bush Derangement Syndrome Blog Postings Cause FISA Leaker To Reveal Himself?

NewsBusters ^ | August 6, 2007 | P.J. Gladnick

[PJ-Comix]

Anybody who reads Web forums dedicated to current events is familiar with the phenomenom of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) in which leftwingers rant wildly about the supposed crimes of the EVIL Bush regime. Most of the time those postings can be written off as just another case of the left having mental problems handling the fact that they do not control the executive branch of government. However, we might now have a case in which BDS has the positive effect of actually causing a high level government leaker of super secret information to expose himself. The story about the alleged leaker to the press of the FISA (Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act) program details was written up in the August 13 Newsweek article, Looking For a Leaker:

The controversy over President Bush's warrantless surveillance program took another surprise turn last week when a team of FBI agents, armed with a classified search warrant, raided the suburban Washington home of a former Justice Department lawyer. The lawyer, Thomas M. Tamm, previously worked in Justice's Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR)—the supersecret unit that oversees surveillance of terrorist and espionage targets. The agents seized Tamm's desktop computer, two of his children's laptops and a cache of personal files. Tamm and his lawyer, Paul Kemp, declined any comment. So did the FBI. But two legal sources who asked not to be identified talking about an ongoing case told NEWSWEEK the raid was related to a Justice criminal probe into who leaked details of the warrantless eavesdropping program to the news media. The raid appears to be the first significant development in the probe since The New York Times reported in December 2005 that Bush had authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on the international phone calls and e-mails of U.S. residents without court warrants.

What this Newsweek story by Michael Isikoff doesn't mention is what might have caused the FBI to be suspicious of the alleged leaker---BDS blog postings by Thomas Tamm. One such BDS posting was made by a reader identifying himself as Thomas Mann in the New York Times The Caucus political blog. The post was a sarcastic comment at 11:42 AM in the November 29, 2006 edition of The Caucus  over the possibility of civil war in Iraq:

It is not yet a civil war. It won’t be a civil war until there are two armies, one from the north, one from the south. The two armies must wear blue and gray respectively, and must be led by U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Only then will it meet our definition of a civil war.

---Posted by Thomas Tamm

Even more revealing is this BDS post to Eric Alterman by Thomas Tamm in the far left Media Matters:

Correspondence Corner:

Name: Thomas M. Tamm
Hometown: Potomac, Maryland USA

Dear Eric: Is not the administration's position that they would not permit the U.S. Attorney to prosecute a Congressional Contempt referral an implicit admission that they allow politics to impact prosecutions? They are admitting that they would interfere with the independent judgment of a prosecutor on a specific case. I suggest that this is precisely what the firings of the U.S. Attorneys are ultimately about. Yes, they serve at the pleasure of the president, but they do not prosecute at the pleasure of the president. The White House is guilty of taking the blindfold off lady justice, not just covering her breasts. I am a former DOJ lawyer, for what that is worth.

If it turns out that Thomas M. Tamm is the FISA leaker, then a good case could be made that BDS postings on the web might have been his undoing. Ironically this would not be the first time a high government official illegally releasing top secret information revealed himself via web postings. Robert Hannsen, the FBI agent  convicted of selling secrets to the Soviet Union and Russia, raised suspicions about himself when he posted explicit information about his sex life on Internet chat rooms. Perhaps this FISA leak case will be the second time that web postings would have been the undoing of a government official illegally releasing top secret information. In the case of Hannsen his motivation was sex, in the current FISA case it just might be irrational BDS that undid the leaker.

[PJ-Comix]

This might be a case where severe BDS overrode common sense. Hint: If you are illegally leaking top secret information, you might want to maintain a LOW profile. Look what happened to Robert Hannsen. Selling top secrets to Russia while at the same time posting explicit sex information about himself and his wife on the Web.

[johnny7]

Tommy Tamm has a lot of splainin’ to do...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

He’s bucking for a top Justice job in the Hillary Administration.

[Bahbah]

Robert Hannsen, the FBI agent convicted of selling secrets to the Soviet Union and Russia, raised suspicions about himself when he posted explicit information about his sex life on Internet chat rooms.

Thnks, PJ, I did not know that.

[Fishtalk]

There’s always, but ALWAYS, some connection to the Clintons, ya ever notice that?

[PJ-Comix]

There’s a TERRIFIC movie about Robert Hannsen starring Chris Cooper. They show all this. Check out the flick. VERY entertaining thanx mostly to the INCREDIBLE acting of Cooper.

[The South Texan]

The “new tone” bites again!

[Bahbah]

I will check it out, Thanks again.

[allmendream]

What is the name of the movie?

[PJ-Comix]

Breach. Excellent movie. Primarily to the INCREDIBLE acting of Chris Cooper. He really did a great job of capturing Hannsens paranoia and eccentricities. I think you can get it on DVD.

[D-fendr]

Just saw it.

I agree it’s a good movie and Cooper is excellent.

However, I don’t think they explained the “why” enough or, alternatively, correctly.

[allmendream]

Thanks. Netflixing it. Have “Broken Glass” to watch right now. Appropriate seeings as how TNR STILL cannot fact check their stories from like minded ideologs.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Someday, someone will write the definitive book on the Clinton corruption, from Arkansas S & L fraud to the Lippo Bank and the Red Chinese Army missile secrets kickback, etc. I predict three 750 page volumes.

[khnyny]

The movie is only good due to Chris Cooper. Other than that, it’s bs.

[TXnMA]

"I predict three 750 page volumes."

And I predict that the author will die a strange and mysterious death -- labeled as "suicide" -- before the second volume goes to press...

[PJ-Comix]

One great scene was when they replaced the pic of Janet Reno with that of John Ashcroft.

[maica]

Now we have to question the motivation of Michael Isikoff and Newsweek in publishing this story =

- a heads-up to potential defense counsel, perhaps?

- a rallying call to all who want to cripple the Justice Dept?

- truth in reporting?

[maica]

Rush is highlighting this article right now - Monday opening segment.

[khnyny]

LOL.

The problem I had with the movie, is the story isn’t accurate. Hanssen’s brother-in-law (also worked for FBI) told the FBI to investigate Hanssen in 1990, but they did not. The incompetence of the FBI let Hanssen continue on for another 11 years.

[MrB]

I was asked today, and wasn’t sufficiently able to answer effectively...

can’t we prosecute people for TREASON anymore?

Freepers, help me out - is it political correctness or what?