Is Edward Snowden a Hero? A Follow-Up

Yesterday, Jeffrey Toobin and I taped a segment about the Edward Snowden leaks with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, for his “GPS” show, which will be broadcast this weekend. You—and Jeff Zucker, CNN’s ratings-conscious president—may be disappointed to hear it didn’t come to fisticuffs; it was all very polite. Jeffrey reiterated his objections to Snowden’s behavior—he broke the law, he compromised national security, he fled to Hong Kong—and I repeated my argument that he has performed an invaluable public service.

Clearly, there are two sides to this issue. But, in light of the questions that have been raised about Snowden’s conduct—and not just by Jeffrey but by other liberal writers who might have been expected to be supportive, such as Josh Marshall, of T.P.M., and Kevin Drum, of Mother Jones—it’s worth expanding upon a few points.

...read more