Angelo Codevilla:
Since our Intelligence agencies have an unbroken history of crowing about even tiny successes, using finely parsed assertions with zero evidence to impute multiple triumphs to programs publicized by a leak is prima facie evidence of insincerity. When (rarely) independent persons look behind such claims, they almost invariably find the Wizard of Oz. More important, anyone who has followed telecommunication technology and intelligence during the past three decades can only scoff at the claim that universal collection of telephone externals and access to internet traffic can thwart serious criminals or terrorists.
via The Ruling Class Consensus On Domestic Spying | Online Library of Law and Liberty.
Re: the Snowden affair, I think one of the most disappointing aspects is how little regard the government has for the information it has collected. Why, if it really is necessary to sift through all of this information was somone like Snowden able to access it? Of course I think it a blatant violation of fourth amendment rights on the part of the government, but if they are going to do it, at least be serious about it.
I’ll paraphrase the Instapundit: We don’t have serious people running the government.