Former CIA/NSA Head: NSA Is "Infinitely" Weaker As a Result of Snowden's Leaks 572
An anonymous reader writes "The Huffington Post reports, 'Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency, said Sunday that he used to describe leaker Edward Snowden as a "defector," ... "I think there's an English word that describes selling American secrets to another government, and I do think it's treason," Hayden said ... Some members of Congress have also ... accused him of an act of treason. Hayden said his view of Snowden has grown harsher in recent weeks after reports that Snowden is seeking asylum in Germany and Brazil in exchange for assisting their investigations into NSA programs. Hayden said the NSA is "infinitely" weaker as a result of Snowden's leaks. "This is the most serious hemorrhaging of American secrets in the history of American espionage," he said. "What Snowden is revealing ... is the plumbing," he added later. "He's revealing how we acquire this information. It will take years, if not decades, for us to return to the position that we had prior to his disclosures."' — More in the Face the Nation video and transcript, including discussion of the recent legal decisions, and segments with whistleblower Thomas Drake, Snowden legal adviser Jesselyn Radack, and Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman who recently interviewed Snowden."
Cry wolf... (Score:5, Interesting)
"This is the most serious haemorrhaging of American secrets in the history of American espionage," he said. "What Snowden is revealing ... is the plumbing,"
Worse than when Soviet intelligence penetrated the Manhattan project at every level that mattered thus enabling Stalin to take a multi year shortcut to building his own bomb? I mean let's not over dramatise this, the ability to steal airplane sales from Airbus and hand them to Boeing, to steal IP from foreign companies and donate them to US competitors, blackmail foreign politicians, etc..., may be important but an A-bomb can vaporise a city along with millions of it's inhabitants.
Re:It would be nice (Score:5, Interesting)
If he had been "selling American secrets to another government", as the idiot Hayden said, and if it had been an enemy government, then it would be treason. Of course, that's not what he did at all - he made the information public. But Hayden's "let's mischaracterize it a bit" is a typical propaganda techniques, and will probably help convince people who are ignorant of the facts.
BTW, in this day and age, how is it determined what's an enemy government? In the bad old days of the Cold War, it was clear to everyone that the USSR was an enemy. How about China though? They're not an enemy, and I hope they never become one, but we all know it's a concern. Will we, for example, convict GE execs for giving them jet engine technology if it's ever used to attack our forces?
Snowden is hero and villan, brave and cowardly (Score:4, Interesting)
Snowden is a hero for revealing secrets that need revealing. He is a villain for revealing more than necessary. He is brave for essentially throwing his life away. He is a coward for not being willing to accept all of the legal consequences for his actions.*
With a treasure trove of tell-alls as big as Snowden's allegedly is, I doubt he's had the time to sort out the things our government is doing that are generally likely to be considered by Americans and American allies as immoral or against our own Constitution from those that aren't.
There is no doubt that American owes Snowden a debt of gratitude for shining light on activities which are likely to have at least 4 of 9 Supreme Court justices ruling them unconstitutional, should a relevant case ever reach their docket, as well as many other activities which, while clearly constitutional, are generally regarded as things a civilized government simply should not do, at least not outside of times of war, invasion, or rebellion.
However, the odds are high that not all of the secrets he leaked are those kinds of secrets.
To the extent that Snowden is leaking secrets of things that Americans would NOT generally consider immoral or unconstitutional AND, (for things that affect other countries or their citizens) things which those other countries not only find immoral but which they themselves do not do, Snowden should've kept his mouth shut.
Perhaps the United States Government should take a page from the Doctor Who television episode "Tooth and Claw" [wikia.com]** and give Snowden a medal for releasing the secrets that show American was acting immorally and/or unconstitutionally, then charge him with treason for releasing secrets whose release expose anything that needed the disinfecting light of sunshine cast upon it. Maybe they will let him wear his medal and write his (classified, until Washington says otherwise) memoirs while he serves his time in Club Fed???
*The hallmark of an honorable person engaged in civil disobedience (or insurrection, treason, etc.) is their willingness to accept the full legal consequences to themselves for any actions they take on behalf of "the people."
**In the episode, Queen Victoria knights The Doctor and his companion then banishes them both. This episode is also part of the back-story for the spin-off series Torchwood.
Re:NSA is infinitely weaker? (Score:4, Interesting)
Gambling casinos make an extraordinary amount of money based on a minor advantage in the odds, and the extremists have much better odds now with the Snowden leaks.
You mean... the extemists will make an extraordinary amount of money? Well, so do Goldman Sachs.
(if you wonder what extremists have to do with Goldman Sachs, you are on the right track: it's called critical thinking. That would be the same relation as between extremists and casinoes, be them of the gambling kind or... wait, are there non-gambling casinoes?).
Re:Boohoo (Score:5, Interesting)
I cannot and do not care about the citizens of other countries.
That's in one sentence the problem the rest of the world has with the US. By and large you only think of your own selfish needs and screw anyone else. A large majority of the US population doesn't even feel the need to explore what's outside their own little bubble and will live and die without ever crossing a border unless ordered by a general. Believe it or not but the rest of the world thinks that is a scary situation.