The Fed Who Blew the Whistle

Is he a hero or a criminal? Obviously, a rhetorical question. However, the answer is, it depends on to whom you speak. Clearly, most Newsweek readers say that he is a hero. But, those who are more interested in national security than some delusional perception that they are being harmed by having an electonic robot scan their email for trigger words like jihad or bomb would say that he is a criminal.

FISA is obsolete. It was not designed to deal with the trillions of email that pass through the U.S. backbone to the internet. A less restrictive mode of surveillance than FISA is absolutely necessary to protect us from the fanatical Islamists that want to destroy our way of life. Britain, Germany, and France already have surveillance programs that are substantially more aggresive than ours. For example, it is impossible to go anywhere in London without being recorded on video cameras. The images are subjected to face recognition and a program that looks for behavior that appears suspicious. The British do want this level of intrusion, but some intelligent, thinking people in Britain realize that the loss of some privacy is necessary to national security. To deny the existence of this global threat is insanity at its zenith.

Obama will not stop the NSA program. It is critical to the accomplishment of his primary responsibility, to keep America safe. The only CHANGE will be that many of the loons complaining about the program now will shut their pie holes because the loss of some civil rights is more palable if imposed from the left. Personally, I want Obama to have this power. I want him to exercise it to the fullest extent necessary to protect me and my country from further attack. And, I will never complain that there is the possibility that some computerized robot is scanning my email for words that are commonly used by fanatics in planning violence against America. I read the posts on this site and I believe that there is truly no hope for America. What a bunch of whinners we have become. I am grateful that W has had the guts to stand up the ridicude of the galactically stupid to protect us. I hope that Obama has the intestinal fortitude to do likewise. First impressions are that he does.

TAMM YOU ARE A TRUE PATRIOT. SPILL THE TEA! EXPOSE THE RATS, EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO PUT YOURSELF ON THE LINE. MANY HAVE BEEN PUT IN JAIL FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING. MANY HAVE BEEN TRASHED, SOME HAVE HAD THIER WIVES WHO ARE CIA OUTED AND DESTROYED FOR PUBLICALLY CALLING OUT THE LIES AND INCOMPETENCE OF A CORRUPT GOVERNMENT.

YOU ARE A REAL AMERICAN HERO, AND A TRUE PATRIOT!!!

Don't worry about the BUsh supporters, they are losers, and are dinosaurs and are in the wilderness becuase they are incompetent and support no accountabilty in themselves. They are not accountable but want to hold others accountable, those are called hypocrates.

40YearR-would you happen to recall the title of that particular "shoe throwing" article which you, Harley and I were on this afternoon? I want to check for any replies to my comments but article is no longer listed. Thank you.

Tamm is a clear cut criminal and should be incarcerated...perferably at Gitmo.

Thank you, George Bush, for your aggressive prosecution of terrorists at home and abroad. The total lack of attacks on US soil since 9/11 is, by any historical standard, a great accomplishment. Only God knows how many American lives have been saved by your actions.

Thank you also, GWB, for your steadfast courage in standing up to the spineless, hand-wringing liberals who would rather see Americans burn in collapsing buildings than stand up to defend their nation. They hide their cowardice behind their misguided view that the constitution covers foreign-born killers.
Newsflash to them: it doesnt.

Scooter Libby had to spend over $1M to defend himself against a crime-less special prosecutor and got convicted of disagreeing with Tim Russert (by a D.C. jury foreman who was a friend of Russerts and a jury full of democrats still waiting for Cheney to be charged...). Tamm isn't going to be charged in D.C. No F'ing chance. He would be acquitted of his crimes anyways since all he did was betray the country while Bush was President so the 9 - 1 Democrat laden D.C. jury isn't going to convict.

And an Obama DOJ isn't going to be punishing anybody who wasn't a Republican. Tamm is obvious a liberal or he wouldn't be blogging on anti-Bush websites so Tamm is safe as a lamb. And all this because he didn't approve of the death penalty. Boy, we should have called it the Department of Tamm Justice and made him Attorney General of it since anything which meets his disapproval ends up in the NYT. Good thing Ashcroft didn't have an eating disorder or the WaPo would have had the story.

I believe traitor is the correct word.

Who is the real traitor here? The constitition is the objective test. This gentleman stayed true to our constitutrion, his superiors did not. They were the real traitors. Democracy and the rule of law were at stake. The Bush administration betrayed those ideals. I say so as an objective person who voted for Bush twice.

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Ben Franklin disagrees with you, Gloria S.

Let's hope that when terrorists hit the USA again, that the New York Times and this 'person' are in the building that goes... That would only be appropriate. After all, they choose to help terrorists kill Americans, why should that not play both ways?

The great lesson here is that every person in government who does not like the president should use every thing at their disposal, even if it is in violation of the law, to hurt them. Their will always be at least half of the country who thinks they did the right thing.

he abhored "lawlessness",then went and broke the law himself,freaking liberal PUTZ!

He is my hero. Thank you Tamm for trying to protect our constiution and rule of law. The Bush crime family has not only shredded our constitution, but has committed treason, by outing a CIA agent, only to further their polical cause, and harm anyone who gets in their way. They, and anyone like them, are un-american, vile, & dispicable. Tamm is a true patriot, indeed! Counting down until inauguration day!

He should be prosecuted and jailed. He committed a criminal act and knew what the punishment was for it. He passed government secrets to our enemies via Bushs enemies at the NYT. If he were really interested in 'justice' and not just punishing Bush, he would have contacted the IG at the DOJ or contacted a member of Congress on the Intel Committee or the OPR.

Calling a reporter is a punk way to go. Tamm is being made out to be some kind of victim but he is, in fact, a man who violated the oath he took. He admits he didn't know how the program came about or anything about its legality. He only 'thought it sounded illegal'. But Tamm got what he wanted - a punch in the nose to Bush and hampering of our ability to track terrorists. Congrats mr whistleblower (a term which only applies if you are leaking about a Republican idea, program or Administration), you've really made us safer!

there are 2 kinds of lawyers..............live ones and dead ones.................... and they both stink of filth the same

Tamm is a hero in the truest sense of the word. How dare anyone criticize him for doing precisely what he had sworn tio do: uphold the Constitution. As a fellow Georgetown University Law School graduate, I am proud to know that the ethical and moral education we received lives on. As Americans we should rally around and support him and his family in this time of need. We need more Tom Tamms..

THE MAN SWORE AN OATH OF SECRETCY! TOO BAD WHAT YOUR PERSONAL FEELINGS ARE! "I DON'T BREAK MY WORD OR MY BALLS FOR ANYONE"...TONY MONTANA

Arrest, prosecute and put him in jail until he is dead. He is a traitor and this punishment is too easy. Too bad we don't execute traitors any more. If we did, the NY Times would have to close their doors.