[damarquis]

"..that many people suspect of being compromisable by NSA etc."

If it was a backdoor you certainly can't count it among the NSAs successes. It is never used.

[rgbrenner]

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/the_strange_st...

[ktsmith]

I would count it's development and publication as another example of the NSA being a bit ahead as it very much looks like they developed an algorithm in secret with a backdoor. I would count the fact that the public found it (after a few years) a point for public crypto research.