"Since you are in favor of Warrants for NSA monitoring, I'm very curious to know your opinion on the so called "whistleblower" and if that person may have come from NSA."
I'd consider that extremely unlikely. As for my opinion, anyone entrusted with classified information should never release it, except to the proper authority.
I worked at the NSA in the late 60s. What I did there is classified, and I still follow the rules that were in place at the time.
As for the warrants, in general, there is a reason for the law, and that reason is to prevent information from being used in an illegal way. I have no problem whatever with monitoring of communications between US Citizens and terrorists. I think it should be done. I also think it should be done in accordance with the laws in effect. If those laws are inadequate, then new ones should be written.
COMINT is something that has a very narrow authorized audience, and that's as it should be.
Wow, a lot of water has probably gone under the NSA "bridge" since you were in it 35 years ago. I might not be too far off in questioning your knowledge of the current monitoring capabilities and their applications. So, maybe I will stand by my original statement, "you don't understand" at least in the current context. Of course, I probably don't either, but I'm willing to trust those leaders in a position to know.