Sounds like his so-called fearlessness has worn off? Nah, he's just a troublemaker who is now on the run.
I just don't get this argument, that he's a coward or a traitor for leaving. Are you required to martyr yourself for your cause to be worthy? He wanted to get this information out, and he also felt like he shouldn't have the rest of his life ruined for it (which is a reasonable prediction if he had stayed).
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter whether he was fearless or a troublemaker or anything else, this shouldn't be about him as a person.
Well Manning did things your way, and he was discovered and locked away, tortured. Maybe Snowden knew there was no way to hide that it was him that leaked the data.
Rather than just disappear (thereby letting the NSA control the story and write his motives), he chose to make the first move.
In my opinion, he couldn't have done it better.
> Why did he feel he had to attach his personality to the leak?
Don't be obtuse. He chose to speak out, and still the NSA managed to tar him as an enemy spy. Had he simply disappeared, he would have made their work even easier.
The media would write articles about who they thought you were - a chinese spy, etc.
(I like troublemakers. Someone described as a "troublemaker" is typically someone who won't accept the status quo just because that's the expedient thing to do.)