Snowden Job

Edward Snowden sparked a major, serious discussion about the balance between liberty and security by leaking the National Security Administration's program of collecting phone call data on private citizens, along with the leak about American spying on European diplomatic offices (which caused the people of the Old Country to remember why they hate America so much).  That discussion didn't last very long.  To some people, Snowden is a villain for blowing the secret program on keeping Americans safe from terrorism, while to others he is a hero for letting Americans know what their government was up to.  Now he's neither.

Snowden has been holed up in the airport in Moscow, leading some to think the Russians are pumping him for more information, which sounds absurd when you consider how much intel Snowden has leaked out already.  He says he has information that could cripple American intelligence operations but that he has only revealed what he feels we Americans need to know.  I'm beginning to wonder how much he really does know.  Personally, I think he's full of crap.  Because he remains in that airport trying to find any country that will offer him asylum - Venezuela is the likely choice as of now - and his priority seems to be based less on ideological solidarity than which country will simply take him first.  And for a government - ours - that says it isn't overly concerned about what he may or may not know, it sure has a funny way of showing it, twisting arms with diplomats from some of the very countries we've been spying on and harassing the president of Bolivia in the process.  And you can bet that Eddie's lovin' the attention.

In short, the debate over liberty and security no longer matters.  It seems to have taken a back seat to the comedy playing out in Russia.  The story stopped being about what Snowden leaked and started being about Snowden himself.  I would conclude that, rather than being a hero or a villain, he's more of a clown in a story that gets goofier by the day.