From watching CNN, the tone I get from the government is that they mainly want him so they can send a message to other potential leakers that this sort of behavior won't be tolerated.
Is he important enough to move heaven and earth for? I didn't get that. The Obama administration needs to tread very carefully here, which is why, so long as Snowden doesn't make a stupid mistake, which it looks like he won't, he'll be able to squirrel himself away in Latin America. Obama, as head of state, needs to at least make the appearance he's protecting the power and prestige of the government. But he also needs to avoid looking like the terroristic assholes we're at war with.
It's a very thin line, and I'm actually a little impressed with how he's handling this.
