I don’t even know what to say about this insanely overblown hysteria any more: NSA Analysts Intentionally Abused Spying Powers Multiple Times.

MULTIPLE TIMES! (Run around screaming.) MULTIPLE TIMES! THIS IS BAD, PEOPLE!

Oh wait. You mean, “multiple times” is actually … ten times, in ten years? And they were reported, corrected, and action was taken against the violators?

Good freaking grief.

The incidents, chronicled in a new report by the NSA’s inspector general, provide more evidence that U.S. agencies sometimes have violated legal and administrative restrictions on domestic spying, and may add to the pressure to bolster laws that govern intelligence activities.

The inspector general documented an average of one case per year over 10 years of intentionally inappropriate actions by people with access to the NSA’s vast electronic surveillance systems, according to an official familiar with the findings. The incidents were minor, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified intelligence.

Of course, this is now going to be trumpeted around the universe by the usual suspects, as “proof” that the evil President Obama was lying to the public.

And by the way:

The deliberate actions didn’t violate the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act or the USA Patriot Act, the NSA said in its statement. Instead, they overstepped 1981 Executive Order 12333, issued by President Ronald Reagan, which governs U.S. intelligence operations.

The actions, said a second U.S. official briefed on them, were the work of overzealous NSA employees or contractors eager to prevent any encore to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Right on cue:

There goes the “no deliberate abuse” claim, which was always false anyways http://t.co/Xhw6ZlaPkH

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 23, 2013