Originally Posted by Joe Obenberger

The Yahoo piece linked above reads like any classic smear. It's largely opinion, scarcely a hard fact in the article. It's tone is "likely" vs. "unlikely". An employer mentions a different salary amount - still hefty - and is silent about whether bonuses and incentives were also paid. Can't say that seems to amount to any slam-dunk impugning of Snowden. The article attempts to derail interest in what Snowden reveals and put the train into a track that implies more than it can actually say to damage him. Meanwhile, there are no official denials of anything he's told us. He's been interviewed at length and one gets an impression of substantial character and credibility.

Those in the high circles of power are afraid of Snowden and every part of their reaction to him tends to underline it. Snowden looks like the real deal. An honest, accurate, bright, and sincere man, a real Mr. Smith Goes To Washington kind of guy.

Seldom has American history pivoted more about one man than in these days.

What happens next will tell more about the character of the American people than it will about Snowden. My best guess is that a very large and significant part the Americans is in the mood for a real, genuine hero, that Snoweden inspires them, and that there will now come a reckoning like the FBI and IRS were put through in the wake of the Nixon presidency - and on a larger scale. It will become politically expedient for Congressmen and Senators to take the position that government intrusion has gone too far. Jim Sensenbrenner, a significant author of the Patriot Act - who occupies a very safe Republican seat in Wisconsin - is already there. (Remember also, he was axed as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee for asking too many questions and making too many waves for the Bush administration. Before you conclude he's any hero, though, remember that he was the chief agitator to get Section 2257 enforced and put the most pressure on John Ashcroft to start inspections and make annual compliance reports. After he lost his chairmanship, DOJ never filed another 2257 report as mandated by law.) The Europeans can be expected to keep the pressure on - for a long time they've considered the US to be out of control on privacy. A hard rain's going to fall.