What is one to make of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's "reluctant" appeal for temporary asylum in Russia?

It's easy to admire Snowden for what he has revealed about the vast extent of U.S. and U.K. spying. It is easy, too, to sympathize with the predicament he has found himself in after making his revelations and wishing, understandably, to avoid decades in prison. Indeed, contrary to what some have argued, there is no "rule" that states whistleblowers should voluntarily surrender to the prospect of a long jail sentence.

The consequence is that Snowden has found himself stripped of his passport by the U.S. government that seeks him and has been subjected to a harshly applied international flight ban as Washington has sought to block his travel to a friendly South American country.