It’s going to be illuminating to see what the editorial writers at the Guardian are going to make of Edward Snowden’s exchange with President Putin at that televised question and answer session in Moscow. The fugitive intelligence contractor asked the ex-KGB-agent-turned-warlord whether Russia intercepted or analyzed communications between its citizens, according to the report on the CNBC Web site.

Mr. Putin, CNBC reported, replied that the country did not conduct “massive, uncontrolled” surveillance and that, as CNBC paraphrased him, “Russian laws would not allow that.” Protested Mr. Putin: “I used to work for intelligence service(s) like you.” He added: “We will talk the same professional language — our intelligence efforts are regulated by our law.” Then he said: “I hope we won’t do that and we don’t have the money or technical devices that they have in the States.”

In the old days the newspapers would have marked this for the mockery that it is. But what is the Guardian going to do? Mr. Snowden, after all, is their collaborator in the Pulitzer Prize gold medal. Now he’s fetched up posturing in respect of Mr. Putin even while living under the Kremlin’s protection? Maybe the Guardian will congratulate Mr. Putin. Maybe the Pulitzer Prize board will name him a co-winner of the gold medal for helping Mr. Snowden in his own campaign against America.