> "If in fact he believes that what he did was right, then, like every American citizen, he can come here, appear before the court with a lawyer and make his case."
What you see here is Obama conflating (intentionally, of course) the notion of "right" and "legal".
Snowden thinks what he did was right. He does not believe that will save him in a court room, which in theory determines legality. That is why he fled the country; not because he does not really believe that what he did was right.
The law is supposed to reflect the morality of the country. It should be unsurprising that the US president thinks that US laws are, on the whole, aligned with the country's general morality.
It is suppose to be an approximation of it, but it is important to recognize that it is not itself it. It should be the case that the law and morality align, but if we want to ensure that they do align and continue to align in the future, then recognition that the law is an approximation of morality rather that the definition of it is vital.
If we mistake the law for a definition of morality, then it becomes impossible by definition for the law to be wrong.
The President must realize that the law does not define morality. And of course he does; born in 1961 he is beyond doubt keenly aware that US laws do not define morality. He is conflating the concepts for political reasons.
This is impossible and incorrect. Firstly, there's no such thing a "morality of a country" and in any case the law does not represent it. For example, abortion is legal, yet considered immoral by a lot of people. Secondly, the law must by definition come after what is perceived as right by a majority of voters and thus it always represents an "old version" of it.
> Firstly, there's no such thing a "morality of a country" and in any case the law does not represent it.
By the same token, this is why it's always idiotic to talk about "the people". It is always wrong to say "the people chose" or "the people believe" or "the will of the people". Real life isn't a musical set in Paris starring Jean Valjean.
>The law is supposed to reflect the morality of the country.
The law has always been reflecting the power balance and nothing more. It reflects morality only as a consequence of and to the extent to which moral people have power.
What you see here is Obama conflating (intentionally, of course) the notion of "right" and "legal".
Snowden thinks what he did was right. He does not believe that will save him in a court room, which in theory determines legality. That is why he fled the country; not because he does not really believe that what he did was right.