Is anyone surprised? When I think about Snowden I am reminded of this quote:
A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murder is less to fear.- Cicero Marcus Tullius, Born on January 3, 106 BC and was murdered on December 7, 43 BC.
I think Snowden had much more sinister designs from the very beginning other than just trying to protect the privacy rights of American citizens.
V/R
Dave
- By
- LUKAS I. ALPERT
MOSCOW—President Vladimir Putin conceded that Edward Snowden contacted Russian diplomats in Hong Kong a few days before boarding a plane to Moscow, but said that no agreement was reached to shelter him and that the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor decided on his own to come to Russia.
Mr. Putin had previously said that Mr. Snowden's arrival at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on June 23 was a "complete surprise."
But in an interview with Russia's Channel One and the Associated Press, released on Wednesday, he acknowledged that he had some prior knowledge that the fugitive might be headed Russia's way.
"Mr. Snowden first appeared in Hong Kong and met with our diplomatic representatives," Mr. Putin said. "It was reported to me that there was such an employee, an employee of the security services. I asked, 'What does he want?' He fights for human rights, for freedom of information and challenges violations of human rights and violations of the law in the United States. I said, 'So what?' "
![[image]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-BM971_LIONDO_DV_20130904170521.jpg)
Itar-Tass/Zuma Press
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at the Kremlin in Moscow.
He said he had been willing to allow Mr. Snowden to come to Russia, but only if he stopped leaking highly classified details of U.S. intelligence programs.
"If he wants to stay with us, please, he can stay with us, but only if he stops any activity that could destroy Russian-American relations," Mr. Putin said. "We are not an NGO, we have the interests of the state and we do not want to damage our relations with the U.S. He was told about it and he replied 'I am a fighter for human rights and I urge you to fight with me.' I said 'No, we won't fight, you are on your own.' And he left."
The Russian leader said the next time he heard about Mr. Snowden was two hours before the Aeroflot flight that brought him to Moscow was due to land. Mr. Snowden had initially planned to connect with a flight to Cuba and ultimately to Ecuador where he had been promised asylum, but he was stopped in his tracks when the U.S. voided his passport.
Mr. Putin, who was in the KGB during the Soviet era, criticized that decision as poor tradecraft, as it stranded Mr. Snowden in Russia where U.S. agents would be unable to get to him.
"Representatives of the American special services—and I hope they won't be angry—but they could have been more professional, and the diplomats as well," Mr. Putin said. "After they found out that he was flying to us, and that he was flying as a transit passenger, there was pressure from all sides—from the Americans, from the Europeans—instead of just letting him go to a country where they could operate easily."
Mr. Putin said Russia wouldn't consider returning Mr. Snowden to the U.S. to face trial as the two countries do not have an extradition treaty.
"We do not protect Snowden. We are protecting certain norms of reciprocal relations between two countries," he said, while raising the possibility that an agreement could be reached. "It's clear we will not give him up, he can feel safe here. But what's next?" Mr. Putin said. "Maybe some compromises will be found in this case."
Mr. Putin said he didn't fully understand Mr. Snowden's thinking, and called him "a strange guy."
"This is his destiny, but he chose it. He believes this is noble, that this is justified and such sacrifices are necessary. That is his choice," he said.
Mr. Snowden's lawyer in Russia didn't respond to requests to comment.
(Continued at the link below)
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