Therein lies the rub.
There is a middle ground here, but people are (rightfully) foaming at the mouth with anti-NSA rage. In my eyes, this whole situation (NSA going off the map and doing whatever they want) stems from giving them free range with little to no oversight. They simply need better oversight and real consequences for leadership who don't act in the public interest (as determined by a neutral party, albeit a neutral party with top secret clearances).