When word first broke about Edward Snowden’s illegal revelations of what many perceive as excessive national security infringements on privacy rights, NewsLanc quipped that they “Should give Snowden a medal and then shoot him.”
Later we more seriously observed that a return of Snowden to the USA to stand trial would divide the Democrat Party and cripple it for the 2014 and conceivably the 2016 election campaigns.
We also opined that while the Obama Administration might be publicly seeking Snowden’s return, it would in fact be glad to have some country take him off its hands, provided there would be an understanding that there would be no more security leaks.
So President Barack Obama may symbolically be declining to have a private meeting with President Vladimir Putin over the Russian providing sanctuary for Snowden, but these two leaders probably have a tacit understanding that we don’t really mind at all.
As for NewsLanc, we withdraw our suggestion that Snowden receive a medal since we aren’t able shoot him. But while in general we disapprove of security leaks, in this case he does have our gratitude. The country is better off for his revelations.
