What has The New York Times done?

There's some interesting speculation at "Power Line" about the disclosure by The New York Times that the NSA has been conducting warrantless surveillance of electronic communications.

It seems the leftists believe no harm was done by that disclosure, as indicated by this excerpt of an e-mail to Power Line:

OK, geniuses. One more time. How does disclosing that the Bush mob is using warrantless secret surveillance instead of secret surveillance based on a FISA warrant, which the entire world knows has been used since 1978, compromise national security?

John at Power Line offers an explanation, but doesn't note what seems obvious. The New York Times has revealed to the terrorist enemies of the U.S.A. that we have the ability to find their communications and "listen in." A warrant would be sought if suspicion had centered on an individual, but it appears NSA may have the ability to find the proverbial needle in a haystack before the owner of the needle has been identified.

Perhaps we will never find out what "sources and methods" have been compromised by The New York Times; and, if we are extremely fortunate, maybe it won't matter.

Since the publisher and editors of The New York Times couldn't know whether it would matter, how dare they?