Exceptional In Every Way

The biggest problem with American Exceptionalism is how we delude ourselves.

Secretary of State John Kerry spoke Monday against jailing government watchdogs, three days after the Obama administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a prominent American reporter’s appeal to avoid jail.

Kerry spoke via video feed to the Freedom Online Coalition conference hosted by the government of Estonia. He touted President Barack Obama's proposal to reform the National Security Agency's massive phone and Internet surveillance programs and vowed the Obama administration would not sacrifice privacy for online security.

“I also hope that you won’t let the world forget the places where those who hold their government to standards go to jail rather than win prizes,” Kerry said, making a clear reference to the Pulitzer Prize for public service awarded April 14 to The Guardian and The Washington Post for reporting on classified documents supplied by exiled whistleblower Edward Snowden.