When President Obama insists that he "can't pardon Snowden, he is not necessarily lying. The verb, "can," indicates that one "has the ability" while the negative modifier, "not," (in "can't" = "cannot") indicates that that ability is blocked, or negated. While you read into his statement that the blocking agent is the Constitution, such is not necessarily the caseload. Any number of other factors could be the prohibitive agent (for example, conscience, possible ramifications, precedents, etc.) Based on his further explanation that 1) Snowden's action--in itself--was a violation of the confidential nature of his position with the CIA; 2) Snowden stole classified documents, which he shared with several journalists, who published the; and 3)Snowden fled to avoid prosecution. Based on this information, I suspect that the prohibitive factor Obama's "can't" is his own good conscience. While the result of Snowden's betrayal of his position and of his country was his purported loyalty to--and respect for his countrymen as a whole, Obama is expressing that the end does not justify the means. His concern is that, if he were to reward Snowden with a pardon, then, he would not only be sending the message that other individuals can act according to their individual wills, no matter what the law says. He would also be setting a bad precedent for pardoning other citizens who make such decisions. The United States is a country of laws. If individuals (in this case,willfully)
break those laws, then, they should expect to be punished. That he did a bad thing for a good reason is a defense that remains to be adjudicated.
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President Obama's Insistence That He Cannot Pardon Snowden
When President Obama insists that he "can't pardon Snowden, he is not necessarily lying. The verb, "can," indicates that one "has the ability" while the negative modifier, "not," (in "can't" = "cannot") indicates that that ability is blocked, or negated. While you read into his statement that the blocking agent is the Constitution, such is not necessarily the caseload. Any number of other factors could be the prohibitive agent (for example, conscience, possible ramifications, precedents, etc.) Based on his further explanation that 1) Snowden's action--in itself--was a violation of the confidential nature of his position with the CIA; 2) Snowden stole classified documents, which he shared with several journalists, who published the; and 3)Snowden fled to avoid prosecution. Based on this information, I suspect that the prohibitive factor Obama's "can't" is his own good conscience. While the result of Snowden's betrayal of his position and of his country was his purported loyalty to--and respect for his countrymen as a whole, Obama is expressing that the end does not justify the means. His concern is that, if he were to reward Snowden with a pardon, then, he would not only be sending the message that other individuals can act according to their individual wills, no matter what the law says. He would also be setting a bad precedent for pardoning other citizens who make such decisions. The United States is a country of laws. If individuals (in this case,willfully)
break those laws, then, they should expect to be punished. That he did a bad thing for a good reason is a defense that remains to be adjudicated.