Schieffer: Snowden 'No Hero'

CBS News’ Bob Schieffer used his commentary segment on “Face the Nation” Sunday to hammer NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.  

I like people who are willing to stand up to the government. As a reporter, it’s my job to do that from time to time. Some of the people I admire most are in the government. Men and women who led the civil rights movement– Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr.–they are true heroes. I’m not ready to put Edward Snowden in that category. For one thing, I don’t remember Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks running off and hiding in China. The people who led the civil rights movement were willing to break the law and suffer the consequences. That’s a little different than putting the nation’s security at risk and running away.

Schieffer made sure to explain that being critical of Snowden didn’t mean he approved of the NSA snooping programs, stating, “I don’t know yet if the government has over-reached since 9/11 to reinforce our defenses, and we need to find out. What I do know, though, is that these procedures were put in place and are being overseen by officials we elected and we should hold them accountable.”  But, Schieffer seems not to be able to recognize that without Snowden’s act of revealing the program, he and the rest of the American people would not be in any position now to make that important evaluation. 

It seems Schieffer wants to have it both ways and is intent on hammering Snowden-probably because he represents a direct threat to the Obama Administration and so, therefore, he must be attacked. 

Watch the segment here: