“Yes, there are laws on the books that say one thing, but that is perhaps why the pardon power exists — for the exceptions, for the things that may seem unlawful in letters on a page but when we look at them morally, when we look at them ethically, when we look at the results, it seems these were necessary things, these were vital things.” Obama is down to his last few months in office. The Oliver Stone biopic is hitting theaters. And Edward Snowden is making his big pitch for a pardon.