[dead]

I agree. The NSA is supposed to spy on foreign leaders - that's their number one freaking job.

Their number two job is to not get caught - which they are failing at right now.

And they excel at spying on the one group our constitution expressly forbids them from foisting their intrusions on - law-abiding US citizens in good standing.

Leave me alone, Angela Merkel's fair game.

[setha]

Their number two job is to not get caught - which they are failing at right now. That would normally have included their third job, tying up loose ends (such as Edward Snowden) at all costs. That is not a pleasant thought, but this is one of the unintended consequences of his actions - the inhibition of the NSA to actually do their proper job. As for "citizens in good standing", how does one effectively differentiate between them and those that are not? The latter have no problem passing as the former in order to use legal frameworks to obscure and protect their illegal actions.