I heard him say in an interview that when he was deciding which secret government documents to leak, he made sure not to compromise any individuals in the field. To me, he sounded less like a heroic whistle blower, as some are calling him, and more like an unfettered narcissist. He unilaterally seized the power to reveal classified secrets and, further, to decide which ones to release.

He claims to be a true believer who acted only on behalf of the public good, and without regard to his personal safety. He says he wants the American people to know the dimensions of the government’s clandestine operations, programs that he thinks overstep appropriate boundaries.

The story will unfold and we will learn more about Snowden, but I can’t imagine any justification for the damage he has done to our security infrastructure. No doubt, somebody, someday will write a book about him. I hope it ends with him working away his days in the prison library.

Copyright © 2013 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.