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How do you know that there hasn't been an impending attack, which the NSA program has stopped?

This would have been a valid argument... if it was a one time, temporary thing. Imagine the scenario:
Impending terrorist attack. The president authorizes warrantless domestic wiretapping in excess of his statutory authority(because he doesnt have time to go to congress and get a law passed), and thwarts the attack. No reasonable person has a problem with this.

BUT, if the president needs the ongoing authority to conduct purely domestic surveillance outside the framework of existing law, he is obligated to go to congress to get that law changed.

It's a seperation of powers issue.. either he must get statutory authority to conduct warrantless wiretaps, or he must get judicial approval through a warrant. Two of the 3 branches have to concurr.