Snowden: Hero Or Zero?

Edward Snowden

Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: NSA leaker Edward Snowden is answering that headline question on his own. And the answer is less than zero -- he is, broadly speaking, a traitor. Whatever comfort can be taken from Snowden's exposure of the Obama Administration's overreaching data collection efforts on law-abiding Americans is negated by what he is "exposing" now.

Yesterday Snowden gave an another interview, this time with the South China Morning Post. He claimed that the U.S. was monitoring people in Hong Kong and China and was engaged in cyber-warfare. Here's a news flash for Mr. Snowden: That is what our intelligence agencies are supposed to do!

It would be a scandal if we discovered the opposite were true: That while the Obama Administration was conducting massive surveillance in the U.S. it was not engaging our adversaries and enemies around the world. And, yes, I do include China as an adversary.

That Snowden thinks this is troubling removes any doubt about what his worldview is. Like so much of the left, he sees America as the bad guy. Snowden told the Guardian that he doesn't see China as an enemy, adding, "We trade with each other freely, you know. We're not at war. We are not in armed conflict. …We are the largest trading partners out there for each other."

I pointed out Monday that Snowden has a "globalist" worldview. In describing his motivations for leaking the NSA program, Snowden said, "…I hope this will trigger [a debate] among citizens around the globe about what kind of world we want to live in."

How many of your conservative, Tea Party friends would describe themselves as citizens of the world? Would a patriotic American concerned about civil liberties really flee to China? I don't think so. Snowden is not Patrick Henry and he is not a Reaganaut. He is a disgruntled Obama supporter.

Here's something else to consider: Because Snowden has run into the arms of our adversary and is now doing damage to us abroad, because he is so naïve that he actually believes U.S. intelligence agencies disrupting our enemies is a violation of our principles, he has likely damaged the cause of reining in the Obama Administration's spying on American citizens.

Edward Snowden is a grossly flawed messenger for the cause of liberty. I hope in the days ahead that these two issues can be separated in the mind of the general public -- and in the minds of conservatives.

What Obama Is NOT Doing
Let's put Snowden aside for now and revisit what the Obama Administration is failing to do in the fight against racial Islamic terrorism. Columnist Mark Steyn joked a few days ago that we may learn the Obama Administration was monitoring everyone's calls except those from the Middle East because that would be profiling. Unfortunately, there is some truth to his joke.

Investor's Business Daily reminds readers that while the government is collecting massive amounts of phone data from law-abiding citizens and while the IRS is harassing "Patriot" groups and organizations wanting to educate the public about the Constitution, Obama's snoopers have been ordered not to look in mosques.

The FBI had conducted many successful sting operations by placing operatives inside mosques suspected of promoting jihad. But the Obama Administration stopped the program. Referring to the Boston Marathon bombing, the IBD editorial noted, "The FBI never canvassed Boston mosques until four days after the April 15 attacks."

Why would the FBI want to monitor mosques? According to a survey of 100 mosques around the country, 81% had materials that promoted violent jihad in some manner.

Call it profiling if you want. But if you are trying to stop radical Islamists, you don't go to Episcopalian or Presbyterian churches. You go where the radical Islamists are. Unless of course you are a left-wing ideologue more committed to political correctness than America's national security. Obama is too busying profiling conservatives to have time to profile jihadists.
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Gary Bauer is is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families where his articles are also shared.

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Tags: NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, Obama administration, racial Islamic terrorism, Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!