This actually makes Snowden seem more intelligent. A lot of the speculation has been he's naive and didn't know what he was doing going to Hong Kong. In contra

This actually makes Snowden seem more intelligent. A lot of the speculation has been he's naive and didn't know what he was doing going to Hong Kong. In contrast, Bradley Manning: 1. Released a bunch of stuff that was mostly embarassing to US diplomats, but not really evidence of criminal actions 2. Didn't really have much of a plan 3. Didn't get a chance to demonstrate clearly that he wasn't just "acting out", releasing everything he had clearance to access. Snowden comes across here as being principled, deliberate, and smart about what he released, who he released it to, and what his personal plans were not to get black-bagged.