What kind of coward is Edward Snowden?

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271. Perhaps calling him a coward isn't accurate...

...but he needs to come back and stand trial.

Obviously we can't just allow folks to load up a thumb drive with all kinds of secrets and let them run around the world sharing them.

I expect there is someone behind him who got him his security clearance and encouraged him to do this. That person should be located and questioned. Who was his mentor?

Sure, it's bad that the government knows what we're up to. However, we can't allow people to indiscriminately run off to other countries with secrets. What kind of precedent does that set? Certainly someone who does that shouldn't be viewed as a hero.

If Snowden's behavior is ok then what about the guy who runs off to Pakistan or North Korea with the latest tank technology or anti-aircraft technology?

No, this kind of thing can't go unchallenged, it shouldn't be viewed as heroic. An individual really can't decide what information is ok to share with other countries.

There are methods to bring government excess under control, I don't claim to know what those methods are, but I know that I wouldn't be able to figure them out within a few weeks of working for the government. I seriously doubt Snowden came up with the best solution in that amount of time either.

He will look less and less like a hero as time goes by. I don't think he's necessarily a traitor, more like a young man without the benefit of seeing things like this play out.

In the end, I expect it will come out that he was manipulated by someone who knew how it would play out, but didn't want the attention themselves.