Whether he is a scoundrel or a hero, it is clearer all the time that Edward Snowden has done us a good turn. Shortly before Mr Snowden’s first big download in June, President Barack Obama gave a landmark speech in which he defended the US war on terror while pleading for vigilance against its excesses. Franklin Roosevelt once said: “I agree with you. I want to do it. Now make me do it.” Though Mr Obama was talking about America’s counter-terrorist and data intelligence complexes, his speech contained a similar appeal. Shortly afterwards, Mr Snowden took him up on the challenge.
不论爱德华•斯诺登(Edward Snowden)是无赖还是英雄，一直以来更明确的一件事是：他为我们做了件好事。就在6月份斯诺登首次大规模泄密之前，巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)总统发表了一个里程碑式的演说。在演说中，他为美国反恐战争辩护，同时还恳请人们警惕过度反恐。富兰克林•罗斯福(Franklin Roosevelt)曾经说过：“我同意你说的。我想这么做。现在，让我来做吧。”尽管奥巴马在讨论的话题是美国的反恐和数据情报情结，但他演说中包含的诉求是类似的。在那之后不久，斯诺登为他带来了挑战。