General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Jimmy Carter issues statement on Snowden. "America no longer has a functioning democracy" [View all]deurbano
(2,894 posts)and I didn't say Carter thinks Snowden deserves to be pardoned. I have no way of knowing that.
Obviously, though, it is not outside the realm of possibility that Carter might think a higher purpose could be served by NOT incarcerating Snowden, since he ALSO said: "I think the invasion of human rights and American privacy has gone too far. I think that the secrecy that has been surrounding this invasion of privacy has been excessive, so I think that the bringing of it to the public notice has probably been, in the long term, beneficial." Especially, since Carter has clearly demonstrated a willingness to consider mitigating circumstances in the past (the pardon of draft resisters, as I mentioned)-- and on quite a grand scale.
My point, though, is that Carter did not say Snowden belongs in jail, and we can only speculate (and possibly disagree) on which part of what he DID say to highlight... but we have to base that speculation on his actual words. If Carter thinks other countries have the right to grant Snowden asylum (something he actually DID say), then doesn't it seem likely that he thinks Snowden has the right to that asylum? And doesn't that seem at odds with: "Snowden should be in jail, now"?
Plenty of other US "leaders" have strongly expressed that they do NOT think other countries have the right to grant Snowden asylum... and have quite forcefully conveyed that Snowden SHOULD be in jail (or worse)...that he has committed treason... etc..
Carter's words (at this point, anyway) put him in a different camp. He may not have called Snowden a whistleblower (he actually doesn't seem to have said much beyond the little we have quoted here), but he hasn't called him a traitor, either. He has supported asylum. He finds it (probably) beneficial that Snowden has brought the excessive invasion of privacy to the public's notice. But also consider that Carter is saying this as a Democratic former president who is commenting on a situation involving the administration of the current Democratic president. (A somewhat tricky situation.) Carter sounds fairly measured, while at the same time straying from the party line.