The 13 Most Bizarre Things from Edward Snowden’s NBC News Interview

[ProSense]

The 13 Most Bizarre Things from Edward Snowden’s NBC News Interview

Bob Cesca

<...>

3) Snowden said that no one has been harmed by his disclosures. Yet. Already, though, one of his documents escalated tensions between Australia and Indonesia, and another document endangered lives in Afghanistan to the point where Greenwald refused to publish the name of that country. It’s only a matter of time, sadly.

4) Early on, Snowden said, “I’m not a spy.” Later he famously confessed to being “trained as a spy.” Huh?

5) Snowden said he destroyed his documents before going to Russia. This is really strange. I have no idea whether he really destroyed his NSA files, but he did in fact meet with Russian officials in Hong Kong, when he reportedly celebrated his birthday at the Russian consulate. Did he still have his documents at that point? Earlier, he said his goal was to fly to Latin America, so why did he anticipate being in Russia to the point where he destroyed his documents to prevent Russians from acquiring them? These are all follow-up questions that a journalist who was informed about the details of Snowden’s timeline would’ve asked. Williams was not and therefore did not.

6) NSA can “absolutely” turn on your iPhone, which is “pretty scary.” This section was like whiplash. Snowden started out by sounding reasonable by defining that NSA only acquires data when “targeting” drug dealers or terrorists. And then, BLAM!, this shitola about NSA being able to turn on your phone. If true, why hasn’t this been disclosed from Snowden’s NSA documents?

<...>

9) Snowden didn’t deny turning over secrets that would be damaging or harmful. He only said journalists have a deal with him not to do it. Just a reminder: we really have no idea how many reporters or organizations have copies of the documents or the total number of documents (it’s a Greenwald/Snowden secret), but we do know that Snowden documents have been reported by so many publications that the question arises: who doesn’t have Snowden documents?

- more -

http://thedailybanter.com/2014/05/13-bizarre-things-edward-snowdens-nbc-news-interview/

[BeyondGeography]

1. Dear NSA

I am charging my iPhone right now. Please don't turn it on.

[frazzled]

24. Millions of people have reported their iPhones mysteriously turning on

What do you think all those "butt calls" are about? Be afraid, very afraid. It's not your friend's corduroy pants you're hearing swishing around the aisle in the Stop 'n Shop. It's the NSA, and they've turned on his phone to SPY ON YOU.

[BeyondGeography]

28. I'll worry when I get butt-dialed by someone other than my daughter

[MohRokTah]

2. Awaiting the dcent of locusts to attempt to tear this apart

Unfortunately for the pro-Comrade Eddie crowd, this was all Snowden's doing. Not a single instance where the NSA violated the law, not a single piece of evidence that he attempted to inform superiors of wrongdoing, yet he admits to committing serious crimes against the security of his home nation.

Yeah, that'll play well in Peoria.

[MohRokTah]

3. Oh, and too bad he gave up being a brain surgeon to become a double naught spy. eom

[sofa king]

4. 4) There are a million Americans "trained as spies."

4) There are a million Americans "trained as spies."

Most of them--almost all of them, in fact--do not spy on the United States.

No contradiction there, except that the circumstantial evidence overwhelmingly points to the fact that Snowden in particular was carrying water for the Chinese.

One can easily see this in the character of the disclosures made by Snowden and Greenwald: virtually all of the disclosures confirmed some assertion previously made by Greenwald himself.

That means that the Chinese kept all of the new and useful information they got out of Snowden during his months-long debriefing.

He's a fucking spy, and I caution all of you not to stick your asses too far out on Snowden's branch. We may applaud the results, but Snowden is no Daniel Ellsberg.

[ProSense]

9. Yup, and

"He's a fucking spy, and I caution all of you not to stick your asses too far out on Snowden's branch. We may applaud the results, but Snowden is no Daniel Ellsberg. "

...note this admission.

9) Snowden didn’t deny turning over secrets that would be damaging or harmful. He only said journalists have a deal with him not to do it. Just a reminder: we really have no idea how many reporters or organizations have copies of the documents or the total number of documents (it’s a Greenwald/Snowden secret), but we do know that Snowden documents have been reported by so many publications that the question arises: who doesn’t have Snowden documents?

[blm]

19. His release of the documents was timed to disrupt Obama's trip to China.

Last edited Thu May 29, 2014, 11:16 AM - Edit history (2)

Who has kept a tight grip on US-China relations since the 70s? Poppy Bush. He has also kept a tight grip on an elite circle at the CIA who only work for the BFEE.

Snowden was their dupe. Jeb2016, because...See...Obama is no different than Bush. The timing also coincided with the Bush Family Name Rehab tour. But...most people tend to not notice those things. Not even on DU.

Bloomberg/July2013:
>>>>>>
A public confrontation with China that appeared to erupt spontaneously this year actually coalesced after significant shifts in U.S. policy and years of internal argument, analysis and vetting, according to two people briefed on the plan who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak on the matter.

Approved by top national security advisers and presented to President Barack Obama in a series of meetings in 2012 and early this year, the plan includes classified counterintelligence operations, the seizure of assets and even the possible indictment of Chinese hackers, those people said.

The U.S. already has privately provided China’s leaders with evidence it gathered linking the hacks of commercial companies to China’s intelligence agencies -- a risky demarche that exposed the methods of U.S. spy agencies tracking those activities, according to the two people.

While some elements of the plan are well under way, other parts were intended to be rolled out over the next several months to increase pressure on China’s leaders.

What the administration didn’t anticipate was that a disaffected American would expose some U.S. spying operations as it prepared for Obama’s first meeting with China’s new president.
>>>>>>

And the Bush rehab tour:
http://www.salon.com/2013/04/24/a_george_w_bush_comeback/

[Pholus]

5. Number 4 convincingly demonstrates a pathetic attempt to pad a list.

It speaks poorly of Bobbie C's cognitive abilities that he cannot separate "receiving training in" from "performing the duties of" something.

But I guess that's why I am smarter than he is.

[ProSense]

7. No,

"Number 4 convincingly demonstrates a pathetic attempt to pad a list."

...it's a valid point.

EXCLUSIVE: Edward Snowden Tells Brian Williams: 'I Was Trained as a Spy'
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025008876

[Pholus]

10. Not really.

You can try to spin Herr Bobbie's idiocy all you want but he wrote what he wrote. He admits he doesn't know the simple and obvious difference between training and occupation.

Nor do you, apparently. I guess that just proves that "Sense" and "Logic" are not mutually inclusive things....

[ProSense]

12. Well,

"You can try to spin Herr Bobbie's idiocy all you want but he wrote what he wrote. He admits he doesn't know the simple and obvious difference between training and occupation. "

...you can dismiss the fact that Snowden sounded like an idiot and most of his claims were absurd, but that doesn't change the fact that he dug himself into a deeper hole with that interview. I mean, the fool admitted, in his own words, that he took damaging information and distributed it and the only thing he has as a defense is that the recipients promised not to reveal the information.

[Pholus]

56. I detect a pivot.

The case in point was Herr Bobbie's claims about training and practice being identical.

Now you want to change the topic to Snowden? Deflection. Argue Herr Bobbie's point, if you can (you obviously can't and no blue linkie is going to save you on that point).

You basically posted a puff-piece written by an intellectual lightweight with an axe to grind. Someone so over simplistic they wanted a long list when a concise one would have done. In other words, an amateur.

It completely discredits your entire message.

P.S. You might feel inclined to argue how one detail being used to discredit an entire body of work can be called unfair. Too bad for you. It is called the "boxes in the garage rule" and has been in force since last June. I am kind of sure you are familiar with it...

[AngryAmish]

6. 14. There was ZERO discussion of boxes in his garage

It is the elephant in the room and nobody taljs about it.

[ProSense]

8. Lame deflection No. 1

LOL!

[SidDithers]

11. DU rec...nt

Sid

[Trajan]

13. The usual suspects here ...

Getting rather monotonous ...

These are NOT my favorite DUers ... ridiculous OP ...

[ProSense]

14. I know, I should have

"These are NOT my favorite DUers "

...posted glowing praise of Snowden:

He's a hero. Thank you.

Love,

Vast Majority

[Ikonoklast]

29. Honest question: Do you believe everything Snowden says?

It has been already shown that he is not being truthful on more than one occasion. Do you believe that he is strategically telling those lies, or something else?

[PRETZEL]

36. My opinion on what to believe or not to believe in Mr. Snowden.

Personally, I believe that what he was most of all was an extremely good "hacker" for the CIA and NSA. His educational history and past work experience leads me to believe that his career has been based on this. Our intelligence community would see Mr. Snowden as a very valuable asset in both gaining access to other countries intelligence data bases as well as in trying to provide security for our own intelligence data bases. It just seemed rather interesting that he knew so much about so many different intelligence data bases in such a short time not to believe that this was his expertise.

What cannot be disputed, at least in my opinion, is the extreme intelligence of Mr. Snowden. Unfortunately, it may also be his own worst enemy. My guess, if he would have come out at first chance and admitted that he was a professional hacker for the US some of the back story about his personal life either being so spy-like as opposed to being more non-descript, the conversation might just be very different.

As to whether he is a whistle blower or not, he is on certain issues, in particular the data mining on American citizens. Where I believe he may not be a whistle blower is in some of the activities the US has done in relation to foreign intelligence gathering that is as unfortunate as I may feel it is, is for the most part necessary as part of our national security.

[Mojorabbit]

44. Yes, look at the rec list. The same small group. Over and over and over. nt

[Tsiyu]

15. Funny how highly egregious behavior by authorities is tolerated

but speaking up about that egregious behavior is the worse sin ever.

[ProSense]

16. What's "funny"

"Funny how highly egregious behavior by authorities is tolerated but speaking up about that egregious behavior is the worse sin ever."

...is witnessing the soaring hyperbole being used to define a self-confessed spy who admitted he stole damaging information and distributed it to people who promised not to reveal it...IOW, a fool. LOL!

[Tsiyu]

18. I would far rather know what my government is up to than not

And if a Republican rather than a Democrat were Prez, you would probably feel the same way.

Transparency is a good thing. When Obama condones so much horrific treatment of the common citizen, in that we are all considered suspects these days, all considered possible terrorists and all subject to intrusive invasions of our privacy, he should expect to be called on it.

Anything less is cowardice from the people.

I appreciate the good Obama has done, but he is no saint and I distrust those who insist on canonizing the man.

"If you've got nothing to hide so what?" is what we've all been sold. Same back atcha, Administration

[randome]

21. So what do you need to know?

That the NSA has been storing phone metadata since 2007? That the NSA spies on foreign countries? Every country on the planet has penalties for stealing national security documents. Every one.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 90% chance of rain means the same as a 10% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

[Tsiyu]

22. 'Everybody does it!"

Sounds like something my kids used to tell me

[MohRokTah]

23. So the US should unilaterally stop spying on other nations and...

should just declassify everything that is currently classified?

[ProSense]

25. Well,

"I would far rather know what my government is up to than not"

...I don't need Snowden's theatrics for that. He shot himself in the foot and his ever-changing message is an attempt to distract from the fact that he's screwed.

I mean, if not for him the debate wouldn't have started on information that was already out there? Maybe, but admitting to stealing damaging information, releasing it and then assuring that it isn't going to be reveal is beyond idiotic. Does he think this helps his case?

Snowden's problem is that he knows damn well he screwed up with his actions overseas. The problem for his fans is that they need to keep hyping the dramatic nature of the information related to domestic surveillance activities to create the impression that he did something other than spark a debate in the U.S.

Snowden's information was already out there. Releasing it here and remaining in the country would have sparked the same debate. Such a debate would have fueled his case for leniency.

His fans don't want to focus on the fact that he admitted to stealing the information that sparked the charges. He's in deep shit, not for the information on domestic activities, but for the information that he admits is out there and still, he claims, hasn't been revealed. On that score, he's not about transparency, he's trying to save his ass.

[Erose999]

30. It seems like much of what you have to say about Snowden is just ad-hominem criticism. I agree that

he's said some stupid stuff and that he's made some bad decisions that have put his ass in a sling. But it seems like most of Snowden's critics are more worried about the messenger than the message.

I'm not at all happy with the expanding surveillance powers our government has taken upon itself. Considering that our gov't is also claiming the power to detain people indefinitely and even torture them, where does it end? When does to power of the "spooks" ever reach a limit?

Its time to stop pretending all of this "secrecy" is necessary. The CIA, and the NSA should both be defunded and dismantled.

[ProSense]

31. Since you

"I agree that he's said some stupid stuff and that he's made some bad decisions that have put his ass in a sling."

...agree, what more is there to say?

[Erose999]

32. Well, he did disclose a bunch of information on how the NSA is compiling data on the communications

of ALL American citizens, so there's that.

[MohRokTah]

41. All of which is 100% legal under the USA PATRIOT Act.

And all of which anybody who bothered to pay attention and actually read the thing has known since 2005.

So really, your issue is you've climbed on board the "repeal the USA PATRIOT Act" train that most of us have been on for nine years because such a hulabaloo was raised when Snowden released classified documents, some of which documented procedures and processes for them to compile communication information in accordance with the USA PATRIOT Act.

At least we're now on the same page regarding the USA PATRIOT Act. I guess there was some small good to come out of Snowden's heinous crime.

[Hekate]

43. yep

But when I tried to say that at the outset it was like these folks had amnesia and the USA PATRIOT ACT had never happened. I've been on board with wiping that unConstitutional sludge off the books since it was passed in a flaming hurry right after 9-11-2001. That's 13 1/2 years it's been LEGAL.

[Skidmore]

45. Do you remember all of the discussions we had here when that abomination was going up for votes?

Gosh, I remember calls, emails, letters, LTEs and considerable organization here to head it off. I don't get the amnesia for people who were on DU at the time and the unwillingness of others to face the very real fact that this hydra has been around for a while. Were people playing video games or sleeping or what?

[Hekate]

47. Gods yes. I thought I would go mad, watching what the Bush Cabal did to us and trying to oppose it

...with every fiber of my being.

Something truly toxic is going on here at DU between the amnesia and the deification of Snowden and GEG, and in that toxicity the president who has been trying to clean up (despite sworn opposition from the Repubs) is being blamed for (a) causing the mess or (b) not waving his magic wand on Day One.

By the way -- the GOP that has spent every day searching for something, anything, to turn into a president-wrecking scandal finally has one: the VA. Yet once again, amnesia reigns here and it's all Obama's/Shinseki's fault, not the Bush Cabal's for wrecking it so badly or the Congress's for failing to fund it adequately. They have their actual scandal at last -- and good men will go down.

[Skidmore]

50. Indeed.

What we need now is cool heads and unity of purpose. Anything else will be counterproductive. The BFEE are in it for the long game. They've been playing this one for over a century and now they have the Koch brothers fielding too. I get so frustrated by the insistence on sparkly thing of the day. Still holding out for substance and for meaningful action. I'm not interested in the latest spy novel.

[Erose999]

58. Yes, I've been against the "Patriot" act from the start. I would like to give a middle finger salute

to every Democratic senator/rep who voted for that nonsense. I think the patriot act and the votes for the war resolutions turned a lot of people away from the party, and into the waiting arms of the Ron Paul cult.

[sofa king]

46. We did know, Tsiyu.

We knew it right here. Prosense in particular may be too modest to mention it, but he also spotted Greenwald's recycling of old news:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023361622

Here's DU knowing it ten years ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x871834

Nine years ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x179953

Eight years ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1116932

Five years ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6037395

This is the point we're trying to make. We knew all of this shit years ago. Then this guy Snowden runs off to Hong Kong about a week after Hillary Clinton mentioned Tienanmen Square, meets with Greenwald, and produces what's basically a re-hash of the reporting that was noted and routinely commented upon right here at DU for ten fucking years. What's most remarkable about it is virtually nothing publicly reported is new.

But Snowden knew a shitload of important things, and spent months in China apparently telling them all about it, exactly as a spy would do.

The important thing here is that this story is going to have a mule-kick of a back end, when it's eventually revealed (probably through Bush stay-behind leakers) that Snowden is, in fact, a spy who played out a Chinese propaganda operation, and then everyone who put their dicks on the block for him--the so-called "liberal" press and many of us here--is gonna get chopped.

I don't want to see that happen to my more emotional but less discerning friends here. This is my major concern.

[Hekate]

48. TY for the links to DU history, sofa king. nt

[karynnj]

49. Thank you

I have seen post after post of people denying that anyone knew anything about the telco records being kept -- and one then went on to claim that they have followed this for years!

Somehow all those DU/Daily Kos things in 2007 and 2008 just didn't happen.

[Tsiyu]

51. You were fine til the insult at the end

not necessary, but if it helps you categorize and dismiss people, why, you carry on Guvnah

[treestar]

33. It's heroic to speak against authorities

Even if you are making it up. Authorities are bad in themselves. Anyone accusing them must be in the right.

Let's see if Eddie has the gumption to criticizes the authorities in the country he is now in.

[freshwest]

39. Interesting in going through these links that Ron Paul wants him to get clemency and he attacks HRC.

Ron is helping his boy Rand become a front runner in the 2016 race. And trying to subvert a backlash against their Koch Libertarian agenda to end Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, public schools, the Post Office as part privatizing everything, no worker protection, no minimum wage, and on and on.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024806298

Birds of a feather certainly do flock together. It's going to either be Benghazi, Bundy, eliminate the civil rights for women and all minorities and promote guns in every place, OAS, Oathkeepers, etc.

Yesterday it was Obama, now it's HRC. There is a partisan pattern, huh?

[Tsiyu]

52. it's not heroic to turn leaders into saints

that's gag worthy.

I may be a Democrat, but I don't view any Democrat - including myself - as above criticism.

You all want to demonize the guy have at it.

I shall leave you all to your hate-fest....

[treestar]

54. Now you are talking about criticism of Democrats

Which seem to be the sole purpose of DU for some. As opposed to "authorities." Interesting, because before, it was all authorities who were always bad but now you scaled it back to Democrats.

If we think that the authorities follow the law, we think they are saints. If we don't consider Eddie to be above the law, then we are thinking of the authorities as saints.

Because those we elected to carry out the law and their appointees and the lower level bureaucrats are always corrupt. That excuses Eddie from compliance with the law, or any consequences where he chooses not to follow it.

[Tsiyu]

55. okay

[betsuni]

17. I have a theory...

The "I was trained as a spy" admission: the screenwriters working on the movie version (these are the James Bond movie people) of the Snowden story were having trouble making a dude sitting in front of a computer machine all the time interesting. But, hey, if he's a "spy" then -- creative license, no problem, exciting things! I think my theory is correct. But ... how will the movie end?

[MohRokTah]

20. I have a theory about how the movie will end...

Glenn Greenwald will be played by Glenn Greenwald and the last 45 minutes of the movie will be a Glenn Greenwald rant as acted by Glenn Greenwald portraying Glenn Greenwald.

[treestar]

34. lol

Thank you for typing the name out!

[freshwest]

37. Go for the gold. Producer, director, screenwriter, actor and royalites for being himself.

[daligirl519]

27. I had that same thought! nt

[leftyladyfrommo]

26. I don't believe anything that guy says.

I've never believed he was in this whole thing alone.

[lostincalifornia]

35. The strangest thing is that he didn't secure asylum in a country before releasing the documents,

unless of course he wanted asylum in Russia in the first place.

Because of his actions he provided the opportunity for U.S. adversaries like China and Russia to privately talk with him should raise eyebrows

He is in a country run by Putin, who make no excuse that he wants to bring back elements of the Soviet Union, one of the most suppressive governments known in the 20th century, speaks volumes

[Tarheel_Dem]

38. DING! DING! DING! I have argued before that Russia was his intended destination.

[grasswire]

40. this blogger has been repeatedly discredited

.....and is pulling things out of his ass here. Unbelievable, literally.

[ProSense]

42. Snowden did admit to taking and distributing damaging information

"...and is pulling things out of his ass here. Unbelievable, literally."

That didn't come out of the blogger's "ass."

[whatchamacallit]

53. "SNOOOWDENNNNN!!!"

[Katashi_itto]

57. 14 things. This thread.