i noted in my response that, similar to your observation, the CNET author of this piece appears to have a poltiical axe to grind. Which is really a shame; you'd think that an information site like CNET would be able to remain apolitical, even on this issue, and just present the nuts-and-bolts of what the NSA has been doing. But the part that you pointed out, as well as a half-dozen other spots, led me to feel like the author was trying to lead the reader by the nose to form an opinion on the subject, rather than simply passing along information to aid in a reader's understanding of what the NSA did.