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Interesting comments so far ... I'm more incensed that Obama called him a hacker. There was absolutely no hacking as he had a security clearance to work with (and apparently copy) the data he was responsible for.
If he's really refusing to barter, he must not want Snowden back that much. More likely, this is Obama's equivalent of Reagan's "We do not negotiate with terrorists"... just a lie for the cameras.
The cat is out of the bag, really catching snowden at this point is just to serve as an example for others, not in strategic value of its own... China already has whatever they wanted from snowden, Russia already has whatever they wanted from snowden, Encrypted copies of his data are in the hands of probably dozens of journalists and ambasadors, and the story is already on the news...
The best example would be for him to be disappeared. Let his encrypted secrets come to light, so it's obvious that he's either dead or getting tortured somewhere, and that the American government simply doesn't care about diplomatic niceties when it comes to silencing whistleblowers. That would be a lesson to the wary.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The corrolary to your argument would seem to be that Obama is negotiating with Russia for Snowden's release. It strikes me as more likely that he is not. The whole issue is a domestic nightmare, having turned Obama from "good guy" to "bad guy" in the eyes of many (notably the primary demographic of this site). He doesn't want a trial for this guy. He just wants the issue to go away. The security damage has already be…
And the fact that Snowden brought everything he had into Russia, and you have to be a complete idiot to believe Putin's line that nobody from the Russian government or intelligence has talked to Snowden about it, or gotten a copy yet.
It would also undermine everything Snowden has done so far, so unless they tortured him or he is completely insane I seriously doubt he did that.
Interesting comments so far ... I'm more incensed that Obama called him a hacker. There was absolutely no hacking as he had a security clearance to work with (and apparently copy) the data he was responsible for.
While he might not be a hacker in our minds, whether he was permitted to access the documents he did is still up for debate. If he accessed them without permission, that would be enough to qualify him as a hacker under some definitions.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The cat is out of the bag, really catching snowden at this point is just to serve as an example for others, not in strategic value of its own... China already has whatever they wanted from snowden, Russia already has whatever they wanted from snowden, Encrypted copies of his data are in the hands of probably dozens of journalists and ambasadors, and the story is already on the news...
And if they wanted to make an example of Snowden, the last place they want him is in an American court of law, with cameras and stuff. Gitmo or some other extra-legal incarceration isn't much better, if it's public. The best example would be for him to be disappeared. Let his encrypted secrets come to light, so it's obvious that he's either dead or getting tortured somewhere, and that the American government simply d…
Interesting comments so far ... I'm more incensed that Obama called him a hacker. There was absolutely no hacking as he had a security clearance to work with (and apparently copy) the data he was responsible for.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
And the fact that Snowden brought everything he had into Russia, and you have to be a complete idiot to believe Putin's line that nobody from the Russian government or intelligence has talked to Snowden about it, or gotten a copy yet.
I suspect Snowden has the data encrypted meaning that copies are not of much use anyone without the key. If you are suggesting that Snowden gave up the encryption keys to Russia or China, that is a very serious accusation without any proof behind it. It would also undermine everything Snowden has done so far, so unless they tortured him or he is completely insane I seriously doubt he did that.
Realistically, the data in there probably isn't all that time-sensitive. It's not like we're in an active war with Russia and Snowden took copies of an upcoming US invasion plan with him there. In that case, two things would matter: if the Russians had the data, and whether they had cracked the encryption. However, in this case, the data Snowden has is useful as a general "What do they know" exercise. This is data that will remain interesting for the Russians and Chinese even if it takes months to crack. So, at this point, it is a problem for the US if the Russians are just in possession of it, even encrypted. It's just another bargaining chip that they have.
Interesting comments so far ... I'm more incensed that Obama called him a hacker. There was absolutely no hacking as he had a security clearance to work with (and apparently copy) the data he was responsible for.
While he might not be a hacker in our minds, whether he was permitted to access the documents he did is still up for debate. If he accessed them without permission, that would be enough to qualify him as a hacker under some definitions.
If he's really refusing to barter, he must not want Snowden back that much. More likely, this is Obama's equivalent of Reagan's "We do not negotiate with terrorists"... just a lie for the cameras.
The corrolary to your argument would seem to be that Obama is negotiating with Russia for Snowden's release. It strikes me as more likely that he is not. The whole issue is a domestic nightmare, having turned Obama from "good guy" to "bad guy" in the eyes of many (notably the primary demographic of this site). He doesn't want a trial for this guy. He just wants the issue to go away. The security damage has already be…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
And the fact that Snowden brought everything he had into Russia, and you have to be a complete idiot to believe Putin's line that nobody from the Russian government or intelligence has talked to Snowden about it, or gotten a copy yet.
I suspect Snowden has the data encrypted meaning that copies are not of much use anyone without the key. If you are suggesting that Snowden gave up the encryption keys to Russia or China, that is a very serious accusation without any proof behind it. It would also undermine everything Snowden has done so far, so unless they tortured him or he is completely insane I seriously doubt he did that.
If Snowden is in Russia, and he has encrypted data, and he himself knows the decryption key... then I wouldn't have boundless confidence in a 29-year-old's ability to resist the persuasive power of the Russian 'deep security state' to obtain his keys.
Given amnesia- and compliance-inducing drugs, Snowden might not even be sure he's given up the goods... just wake up one morning a bit more groggy and 'jetlagged' than usual.