commentary I think Edward Snowden deserves a medal -- but even if you disagree, there's no longer a good argument why he ought to remain a fugitive.

Edward Snowden.

This fugitive NSA whistle-blower did break the law, but that doesn't explain why so many still insist that the US government treat him like the notorious Cold War double-agent who betrayed his country's secrets to the Soviets. This morning's long-overdue New York Times editorial calling for clemency for Snowden, whose leaks revealed the stunning extent of the modern surveillance state, may suggest that the stale conversation in Official Washington about what to do about Snowden is starting to change.

That's the crux. Snowden, who still sits on a trove of documents that the government obviously doesn't want publicized, remains on the lam because he's understandably afraid of serving a long prison sentence should he return to the US. And as long as he can reach places like China or Russia, which will summarily ignore extradition demands, the stalemate will continue. Unfortunately, the increasingly barren debate over Snowden has led nowhere since he revealed himself last June as the person who leaked secret NSA documents to The Washington Post and Guardian. The folks baying for Snowden's head will never forgive his original sin, but had he not revealed state secrets, we likely would still be in the dark about the massive extent of government snooping. I think the guy deserves a medal, but even if you disagree, he deserves more leniency from the US.

"I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself," Snowden said in a recent interview with the Post.

I know. That's not going to mollify critics, like Business Insider's Josh Barro, who claim a clemency deal would set a "terrible precedent." At some point, though, we've got to break out of this endless loop. As the Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf smartly points out, no less than our first president, George Washington, granted a pardon to the farmers who violently protested a tax on whiskey. "He wouldn't have granted those pardons had he thought that he was making a radical case against the legitimacy of the US government or setting a precedent for anti-tax insurrections," Friedersdorf writes.

Unfortunately, the precedent argument often gets trotted out as a substitute for creative thinking. I suppose the government can hew to the "my way or the highway" position indefinitely, and that would mean Snowden lives out the rest of his years as a fugitive. Again, we need some context. This is nothing like a Kim Philby situation, and the argument that a plea bargain "or some form of clemency" as the Times puts it, would set off waves of similar intelligence leaks just is not credible.

It's time to let him come home. I'll let The New York Times have the last word:

"It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home, face at least substantially reduced punishment in light of his role as a whistle-blower, and have the hope of a life advocating for greater privacy and far stronger oversight of the runaway intelligence community."

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What to do about Snowden: The NY Times gets it right

NSA leaker Edward Snowden attends a news conference at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks, left, Friday, July 12, 2013.

Bring him home. Thats what The New York Times' and The Guardians editorial pages say about NSA leaker, Edward Snowden. In other words, hes a hero, not a villain, for breaking the law and disclosing top secret documents.

The Times editorial board is arguably the most influential in the nation, and its typically pro-Obama views usually shine brightly on the White House. Thats why, when the Times takes an anti-Obama position, Twitter goes crazy.

Should Obama forgive him? These pundits say youbetcha.

Former high-ranking Obama official, now Atlantic writer, Anne-Marie Slaughter, surprised many with her endorsement.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who broke the story for The Guardian, and published Snowdens leaked documents, finds the pronouncement remarkable, and predicts Slaughters endorsement will be confusing for talking heads.

The tweet from a Washington correspondent for the Huffington Post drips in irony:

Top strategist for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, Stuart Stevens, finds fault with more than just the Snowden editorial.

While Blake Hounshell, deputy editor of Politico Magazine, finds fault with one word:

And it seems no matter what the controversy, all roads lead to Hillary. Radio host, Tammy Bruce:

Originally posted here:

Hero Edward Snowden?

The former head of the Department of Homeland Security said Edward Snowden doesnt deserve clemency for exposing the broad reach of U.S. surveillance programs.

Janet Napolitano, who left the post in August to become president of the University of California system, said on NBCs Meet the Press that Snowdens leaks had hurt the U.S. She rejected calls made in editorials by the New York Times and Londons Guardian newspapers that Snowden, now living under temporary asylum in Russia, be granted clemency.

The U.S. has charged Snowden with theft and espionage for leaking documents to various publications last year that unveiled the breadth of the spying managed by the National Security Agency, where he worked as a contractor.

I think Snowden has exacted quite a bit of damage and did it in a way that violated the law, Napolitano said. I think hes committed crimes and I think that the damage well see now and well see it for years to come.

The New York Times wrote in a Jan. 1 editorial that Snowden deserved some form of clemency or sharply reduced charges because he had essentially served as a whistle-blower to government abuse of its anti-terrorism surveillance powers.

Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has been critical of the NSAs activities, said today that Snowden should return to the U.S. to face trial for his actions.

I think personally, he probably would come home for some penalty of a few years in prison, Paul said on ABCs This Week program. In the end, history is going to judge that he revealed great abuses of our government and great abuses of our intelligence community.

Napolitano will lead a U.S. delegation to Russia for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. Two bomb attacks last month in Russia raised fears that terrorists will target the games.

Russian authorities have said they are deploying 30,000 police officers in and around the Olympic site. Some analysts have suggested that could leave other areas vulnerable.

Napolitano said she shared that concern, and that the U.S. would work with Russia and the International Olympic Committee as closely as we can to ensure the safety of the games.

Originally posted here:

Napolitano Says No Clemency for Edward Snowden

The case for some sort of clemency for Edward Snowden also involves a judgment on the National Security Agency's activities. If NSA phone metadata collections are held to be unconstitutional, the chance of a deal might rise.

Should the United States government offer NSA leaker Edward Snowden some degree of clemency so he does not have to spend the rest of his life in exile, forever looking over his shoulder?

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

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Yes," says The New York Times editorial board, in perhaps the most high-profile defense yet of the famous fugitive.On Jan. 1, the Times published an editorial that argues that the information revealed by Mr. Snowden has had enormous value and launched a nationwide debate on government surveillance.

Snowden couldnt just go to his superiors and work through channels to reveal NSA abuses, claims the Times, because legal protections for whistle-blower activities dont apply to government contractors such as him. Meanwhile, theres no proof his leaks have actually damaged US security, according to the papers editorial board.

When someone reveals that government officials have routinely and deliberately broken the law, that person should not face life in prison at the hands of the same government, writes the Times.

The British paper The Guardian has published an editorial with a similar point. This New Years push for mercy is likely to drive official Washingtons arguments over Snowden and his legacy, already heated, to new levels.

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New York Times pushes clemency for Edward Snowden. Justified? (+video)