Because when "we" can't do something it's for reasons that are varied, nuanced and entirely justifiable.

When "they" can't do something it's because they are malicious lazy idiots. Obviously.

It's illuminating how someone treats other professions that intersect with their own. If one security team acts in a way you disagree with fine. But if you view all security teams as inherently obstructionist, then that tells me you are self-centered or cut corners. Similar if you always have problems with HR, Accounting, etc...

Probably a combination of:

A) People seeing this play out in their own lives enough to relate it to this experience B) That the quote wasn't "No", it was "shut up and go color", lmao

If you re-read that portion of the article, the State Department rep used that phrase to paraphrase the NSA's response. That was not the actual response; nobody who wants to keep their job communicates inter-agency like that.