Win McNamee
In a Friday afternoon press conference that largely dealt with NSA surveillance, Vladimir Putin, and Edward Snowden, President Obama said he believes that boycotting the 2014 Sochi Olympics over Russia’s recent antigay legislation would not be “appropriate” because American athletes have been training and preparing for the games. Wouldn’t it be great, Obama added, if gay and lesbian athletes took home some gold? Elsewhere, Obama said that recent leaks by Snowden have made his job harder, but stressed a need for transparency and asked Americans to have confidence in these programs. The president also noted that he does not view Snowden as a patriot, and that he plans to work with Congress to reform the section of the Patriot Act that deals with phone data. “America is not interested in spying on ordinary people,” he said. Addressing a recent pullout from a one-on-one meeting with Putin, he said the two still have a good relationship.