Obviously giving specifics might cause panic, but, I'm not sure I see the problem in having e.g. Obama state "Unequivocally, there has been major threats thwarted, and considerable lives saved due to this program." Or some assertion recognizing that yeah, this is a 180 from my prior, but there's a good reason, seriously.

The thing is, I don't think anyone is claiming major successes. They're just saying that it's OK. Watching Obama's talk just gives you the feeling it's political nonsense, with a bit of CYA lines too.