NSA leaker/whistleblower Edward Snowden has reportedly requested political asylum in Russia, the Associated Press is reporting, quoting Russia’s Interfax news agency.

AP says Interfax is citing a Russian foreign ministry official as the source of this story.

I’ve said my piece about Edward Snowden. Seeking political asylum with one of America’s great foes – a country that routinely abuses the human rights of its citizens far more than anything anyone can claim about America – is a slap in the face to everything Snowden claims he cares about.

You do not run into the hands of the Russians if you’re a hero fighting for freedom, transparency and democracy.

I guarantee you the Russians are not doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They are going to milk Snowden for every secret they can get. And judging by the reports of what Snowden stole from his last job, the damage to our national security might in fact be quite real if the Russians get their hands on this material, if they haven’t already.

And for those who keep yelling that Snowden isn’t the story, of course he is. PRISM is one story. And Snowden is another. A quite important story. And everyone who lionized Snowden, who proclaimed him a hero, helped to make him a story, and now increasingly the story. Heroes are role models. And if people are going to preach that Snowden is an example of how we should all act, then his actions will be scrutinized.

As I wrote before, we clearly haven’t heard the last betrayal from Edward Snowden. The young man has a remarkable ability for self-promotion and bad decisions. I was as shocked as anyone when I first read Glenn Greenwald’s, and the Washington Post’s, reports on what Snowden had leaked. But in addition to being an advocate for changing my country for the better, I’m also an advocate for my country. I don’t try to change America because I hate it, I try to change it because I love it. And Snowden, for my tastes, started entering anti-American territory a while ago. And when you’re out to destroy my country, rather than improve it, I draw the line.

Feel free to disagree. After all, this isn’t Russia.