Steve Inskeep on Edward Snowden during Meet The Press on 15 Dec 2013, responding to Bill Richardson (emphasis is mine):
And I wonder if it’s possible to say that two things can be true simultaneously, Governor Richardson. It may well be that Snowden was wrong, that he should be prosecuted, and that, at the same time, he did a necessary thing because this is the only way that we find out. Even though members of Congress do have information, they respond to public pressure. Public pressure only comes from public debates, and you only have a debate when you have someone who does something that is wrong, like Edward Snowden.
This may end up being the most useful and accurate way to describe Snowden and what he has done.
This description is all the more powerful since it came on the same day that 60 Minutes aired their NSA/Snowden piece. I was very disappointed in 60 Minutes on their NSA segment. They had an opportunity to ask some tough questions that deserve answers, and they blew it.