The White House is turning up the pressure on Moscow over Snowden. Will it make any difference?

[flamingdem]

* L'affaire snowden also shines a light on human rights in Russia, take Olga Kostina for instance who heads a "human rights" group that attended the meeting with Snowden yesterday. She's tied to Russian security: Olga Kostina, who organized Snowden's acceptance of asylum today, has a history of closely working with the FSB.

http://t.co/K3JeWmomhp

--- snip

“Providing a propaganda platform for Mr. Snowden runs counter to the Russian government’s previous declarations of Russia’s neutrality and that they have no control over his presence in the airport,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. He added, in a bit of headline-friendly and well-calibrated outrage, “We would urge the Russian government to afford human rights organizations the ability to do their work in Russia throughout Russia. Not just at the Moscow transit lounge.”

It’s difficult to imagine that Carney, the White House or the State Department were actually surprised to learn that the Russian government has control over Snowden’s movements (that’s been clear since he first arrived) or that they’ve just now realized that Moscow’s sheltering of Snowden might look a bit hypocritical compared to its treatment of Russian dissidents.

Maybe the Obama administration is just hoping to deter Moscow from allowing another Snowden news event or maybe this is part of a larger push to pressure Russia into dealing with Snowden a certain way. Presumably, Obama raised how he’d like Moscow to handle this in his phone call with Putin.

Though the United States still says it wants Russia to extradite Snowden, and has listed legal and political bases for that request, surely the Obama administration sees that Moscow, whether rightly or wrongly, is guided by more than just the Kremlin’s interpretation of asylum and extradition laws at this point. Snowden’s case isn’t just about his legal status any more, and it’s not just about the public service value of his leaks: It’s about the symbolic diplomatic and political value he’s increasingly accrued and, at times, cultivated. And that could make it a lot more difficult for Russia to quietly hand him over.


more at link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/07/13/the-white-house-is-turning-up-the-pressure-on-moscow-over-snowden-will-it-make-any-difference/

[leveymg]

1. This is a job for Gen. "make the Rubble Bounce" LeMay.

Swivels to any position!

?m=1362192133

[flamingdem]

3. Snowjob kissing Putin's hind quarters in his press release from yesterday:

Yet even in the face of this historically disproportionate aggression, countries around the world have offered support and asylum. These nations, including Russia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador have my gratitude and respect for being the first to stand against human rights violations carried out by the powerful rather than the powerless. By refusing to compromise their principles in the face of intimidation, they have earned the respect of the world. It is my intention to travel to each of these countries to extend my personal thanks to their people and leaders.

[leveymg]

11. A bit self-serving. Will the Pope lend him his armored bubble car for the tour?

What a silly circus this has turned into.

[randome]

15. So is he saying human rights violations are okay if conducted by the powerless?

Boy could use a copy editor.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[flamingdem]

16. The wifi is on the blink at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London

Scotland Yard is giggling.. no help from the mastermind

[treestar]

2. Pootie Poot is an immature little twerp

Instead of poking the US in the eye, he should have deported Snowden back to his country of origin in exactly the same timing for which he would have any other visa-less would be entrant to Russia. Do they even have a system for such things? Is it normal to take that long to make a determination? Refugees from other countries, real refugees, who can get to that lounge should go there - they could get indefinite relief from real persecution.

[flamingdem]

5. I read that asylum takes three weeks there unless Pootie intervenes

like he did in the case of Gerard Depardieu, then it takes a few days

Putin makes French film star Depardieu a Russian

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted citizenship to Gerard Depardieu, the French movie star whose decision to quit his homeland to avoid a tax hike prompted accusations of national betrayal.

The "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Green Card" actor bought a house across the border in Belgium last year to avoid a new tax rate for millionaires planned by France's Socialist President Francois Hollande, but said he could also seek tax exile elsewhere.

Putin said last month that Depardieu would be welcome in Russia, which has a flat income tax rate of 13 percent, compared to the 75 percent on income over 1 million euros ($1.32 million) that Hollande wants to levy in France.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called Depardieu's decision to seek Belgian residency "pathetic" and unpatriotic at a time when the French are being asked to pay higher taxes to reduce a bloated national debt.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/03/us-russia-depardieu-idUSBRE90206G20130103

[treestar]

14. Asylum because you don't want to pay taxes in your country

I read the russians can't enforce their own tax laws well, so maybe it looked like a collectible hunk of cash. I hope it was just asylum and not full citizenship! A bit much to give to someone who showed their money is more important to them than their country.

[AllINeedIsCoffee]

4. I hope so. Snowden is perhaps the most dangerous enemy to emerge since 9/11. nt

[flamingdem]

7. I'm not sure he's got the goods that Greenwald claims

If so it would mean many compromised agents. It certainly would make his supposed message diluted by involving broader US government security issues.

[AllINeedIsCoffee]

10. If he does, the government better be doing a cost-benefit analysis.

Is it worth keeping them around if they are in possession of such documents?

[Maximumnegro]

9. Mmmmm. No.

I know a buch of folks like to think that but no. He's the most dangerous ball of yarn between several large cats since 9/11.

[frylock]

13. bwahahaha!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Just give him his passport back and call off the dogs. Problem solved.

[Maximumnegro]

8. The idiot hero is just a pawn

since he seems to be making decisions based on too many spy movies he should realize that the end of Act II is the part where he realizes he's not in control, that all he did was allow greater forces the excuse to take their dance of power to a new level. But hey he's a brilliant genius hero - I'm sure he knows all this already.

[flamingdem]

12. A reporter said

he was shivering while speaking at the Moscow meeting yesterday.

Guy's a bit over his head.