A couple things here: First, the "party leaders" are Melenchon and now Le Pen. Melenchon probably really believes that Snowden is doing the right thing, but hi

A couple things here: First, the "party leaders" are Melenchon and now Le Pen. Melenchon probably really believes that Snowden is doing the right thing, but his Front de Gauche (Leftist Front) is the lowest-polling of the serious parties in France, and is not very well respected outside of its core base. Le Pen is an ultra-nationalist who only wants to protect him to spite the US. The Greens are in coalition with the Parti Socialiste, but it's Hollande who's really running that show. Second, what Hollande said is completely meaningless; it's a bland, knee-jerk press release that had to be said, but everyone knows that everyone spies on each other. He has no intention of actually upsetting the status quo. Unless we hear from Hollande's lips that he wants to offer asylum to Snowden, this is non-news.