[resu_nimda]

What do you mean "no fear" and "fearlessness?" Yes, he "blabbed" information, and yes he may claim the moral high ground, but he has clearly been quite afraid of what the government could do to him in the US. And with good reason, IMO.

I just don't get this argument, that he's a coward or a traitor for leaving. Are you required to martyr yourself for your cause to be worthy? He wanted to get this information out, and he also felt like he shouldn't have the rest of his life ruined for it (which is a reasonable prediction if he had stayed).

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter whether he was fearless or a troublemaker or anything else, this shouldn't be about him as a person.

[lttlrck]

He has already martyred himself. The question is why? Why did he feel he had to attach his personality to the leak? It's actually become an immense distraction from the core issue: PRISM

[markdown]

> The question is why?

Well Manning did things your way, and he was discovered and locked away, tortured. Maybe Snowden knew there was no way to hide that it was him that leaked the data.

Rather than just disappear (thereby letting the NSA control the story and write his motives), he chose to make the first move.

In my opinion, he couldn't have done it better.

> Why did he feel he had to attach his personality to the leak?

Don't be obtuse. He chose to speak out, and still the NSA managed to tar him as an enemy spy. Had he simply disappeared, he would have made their work even easier.

[lhnz]

Because it's not possible to keep who you are secret from the US government indefinitely. Better to go out into the open before they have the chance to smear you as a terrorist.

The media would write articles about who they thought you were - a chinese spy, etc.

[sp332]

If he was apprehended, his story wouldn't still be in the news. Cf Bradley Manning.