As you notice yourself, there are serious costs associated with limiting intel. But the downsides of overclassification are much more encompassing than what yo

As you notice yourself, there are serious costs associated with limiting intel. But the downsides of overclassification are much more encompassing than what you described. People "in command" regularly fall prey to the fallacious idea of knowing better than anybody else. In particular, they believe to know who should know what. Regarding Snowden to be wrong in revealing the US surveillance is an example of this fallacy. In essence, you discount human rights to knowledge about reality in favor of petty, self-serving and short-sighted convenience.