But those are two different issues. One is about national security, and the other is about civil liberties. Sure it would be nice if both of those were strong

But those are two different issues. One is about national security, and the other is about civil liberties. Sure it would be nice if both of those were strong, but the consequences of having compromised national security are more likely to result in wide scale disaster than this particular case of weakened civil liberties are. This is because we have some semblance of checks and balances within the country, but much less outside of it.