Did The NSA's Surveillance Programs Stop 'Dozens' of Terrorist Attacks?

Did NSA Snooping Stop 'Dozens' Of Terrorist Attacks? -- Peter Bergen and David Sterman, CNN

(CNN) -- Testifying before Congress on Wednesday, Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, asserted that his agency's massive acquisition of U.S. phone data and the contents of overseas Internet traffic that is provided by American tech companies has helped prevent "dozens of terrorist events."

On Thursday, Sens. Ron Wyden and Mark Udall, Democrats who both serve on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and have access to the nation's most sensitive secrets, released a statement contradicting this assertion. "Gen. Alexander's testimony yesterday suggested that the NSA's bulk phone records collection program helped thwart 'dozens' of terrorist attacks, but all of the plots that he mentioned appear to have been identified using other collection methods," the two senators said.

Indeed, a survey of court documents and media accounts of all the jihadist terrorist plots in the United States since 9/11 by the New America Foundation shows that traditional law enforcement methods have overwhelmingly played the most significant role in foiling terrorist attacks.

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My Comment: If the above analysis from Peter Bergen and David Sterman is correct .... the NSA is exaggerating it's effectiveness. What's my take .... the NSA promised last week that they will be releasing more info to prove their case .... I am still waiting patiently for this release.