Snowden Deserves Petraeus-Like Deal, Backers Say: 'Gen. Petraeus violated the law to impress a girlfriend. Edward Snowden released confidential information in order to bring attention to overwhelming and pervasive constitutional violations.'

B) You can make the argument that we 'should know' everything. It is childish and does not take reality into the decision making process. But you can make the argument. That still doesn't invalidate my point. "He gave away secrets." "No, he didn't!" "Yeah he did, here they are." "Well we should know those anyways." ...what?

Of course he gave away things that were secret...to the public, not to Chinese or Russian intelligence. I guess that Chinese or Russian intelligence agencies count as the public, but so do you and me. He wasn't discriminating to specifically give it away to either intelligence by leaking it to the press.

I mean if you want everything to be secret...fine. Then there is no place for whistleblowers at all, not just Snowden. He didn't have the luxury to go through the "proper channels"...his supervisors were the ones approving the program. Instead, he went to one of the oldest and most respected newspapers in the Western World. If he wanted to give away information, if he were a traitor, why give it away to journalists? Why not secretly hand it off to Chinese or Russian officials and have no one be the wiser?

To make the U.S. look bad? It really doesn't matter.

It matters a LOT. Name one example of someone who was a clear and admitted spy (you can speculate all you like about Snowden, but he hasn't professed it) leaking to the press before the other intelligence agency. It doesn't make sense. If someone wants to give away secrets, their goal is to get the information to the receivers as quick as possible. It doesn't make sense that someone selling secrets would go to the press first.

So he reveals info that benefits Hong Kong and all of a sudden he's safely on a plane to Russia

The information wasn't specific to Hong Kong though. It was about cyber attacks around the world. He would have released it any way.

I claimed he traded information for safety. This is demonstrably true. And I have no doubts he also provided Russia with information as well. We scientifically know he did with Hong Kong.

It's not true. You are making a big jump. And Russia, same thing.

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