obama administration to have mercy on nsa leaker edward snowden. "the new york times" and "the guardian" of britain are praising edward snowden, calling him a whistleblower and urging the u.s. to offer him a deal so he can return to the u.s. without the threat of life in prison. the abuses he has exposed, mr. snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. he may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service. it is time for the united states to offer mr. snowden a plea bargain or some type of clemency that would allow him to return home, end quote. he faces espionage and other charges in the u.s. for giving journalists classified information about the mass phone and internet surveillance programs. cnn justice reporter, evan