Edward Snowden says that while he was inspired by President Obama's election, he's disappointed that Obama \"embraced\" or \"extended\" the surveillance policies of President Bush. <\/p>\n
In his exclusive interview with \"NBC Nightly News\" anchor Brian Williams, Snowden would not say if he voted for Obama, arguing that should be kept private. <\/p>\n
\"Whether or not I voted for President Obama, I was inspired by him. He gave me courage, he gave me hope. I really believed that he would be a positive force for the country,\" Snowden said. <\/p>\n
\"And I still hope he will be.\" <\/p>\n
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Snowden said Obama has failed to carry through on a pledge to reverse some of the policies of his predecessor. <\/p>\n
\"He's embraced the policies and he's extended the policies,\" the former NSA contractor said. <\/p>\n
\"He's not Bush. He's his own president. But the consonance in the policies should be concerning for a lot of Americans because he was a candidate that promised that he would give the public back its seat at the table of government. <\/p>\n
\"And he still has time to do so.\" <\/p>\n
For his first American television interview, Snowden met for about five hours last week with Williams at a hotel in Moscow, where Snowden is living in exile while facing U.S. felony charges. <\/p>\n
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