CBS' Schieffer Blasts Snowden: Heroes Don't Flee to China

Edward Snowden, who leaked national security procedures to the press and fled to Hong Kong is no hero, "Face the Nation" host and veteran CBS newsman Bob Schieffer says.

"I like people who are willing to stand up to the government," Schieffer said during the commentary section of his program. "As a reporter, it’s my job to do that from time to time."

He noted that many of the people he most admires are in government. Others were members of the civil rights movement who broke laws to fight for what they believed in. But they also faced the consequences of those actions.

"They are true heroes," Schieffer said, adding, "I’m not ready to put Edward Snowden in that category." Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks never ran and hid in China, he said.

Shieffer said he doesn't know whether the government has overreached since 9/11 in its effort to keep Americans safe, but added "We need to find out. " In any event, he said the elected officials who have overseen the programs need to be held accountable.

"I think what we have in Edward Snowden is just a narcissistic young man who has decided he is smarter than the rest of us," Schieffer said. "I don’t know what he is beyond that, but he is no hero. If he has a valid point—and I’m not even sure he does—he would greatly help his cause by voluntarily coming home to face the consequences."