If the NSA can track the request from your browser to the adsense/doubleclick servers, then they can track where you go around large parts of the Internet.

I didn't get the sense they were saying the NSA made Google make that cookie. Just that Google was denying that cookie was used for tracking, except 8 years ago when they said it was.

I suspect we don't fully understand the level of ability the NSA has to monitor a specific Internet user. It might be accurate to say that, if they want to track you, they will easily know every site you visit surfing around the web due to ad tracking cookies by all the various ad companies. I bet they can tie a Google PREF=ID to you by name and IP address.