The news media appears to be utterly gleeful that Obama has been "embarrassed"

[Cali_Democrat]

U.S. warns countries against Snowden travel
ReutersBy James Pomfret and Lidia Kelly | Reuters

In a major embarrassment for President Barack Obama, an aircraft thought to have carried Snowden landed in Moscow on Sunday, and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said he was "bound for the Republic of Ecuador via a safe route for the purposes of asylum.

It was a blow to Obama's foreign policy goals of resetting ties with Russia and building a partnership with China. The leaders of both countries were willing to snub the American president in a month when each had held talks with Obama.

<...>

The issue has been a major problem for Obama, who has found his domestic and international policy agenda sidelined as he has scrambled to deflect accusations that U.S. surveillance practices violate privacy protections and civil rights. The president has maintained that the measures have been necessary to thwart attacks on the United States.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/former-nsa-contractor-snowden-leaves-hong-kong-moscow-080843121.html

They couldn't hide their happiness if they tried.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. It's not the media's fault...

It's POTUS's fault.

[Harmony Blue]

8. The media didn't create this circus

that blew up in the administrations faces. But the media definitely is piling on.

[still_one]

11. It is the fucking media's fault. Where were they 8 years ago? Now they jump up and are so outraged

There is a double vision and a double standard that goes on with them, and with a lot of other people also

No, that doesn't imply people here on du are part of that, but the fact remains the media are, and yes, they are holding Obama and the democrats to a much high standard then they ever did the republicans

[Harmony Blue]

18. Our country changed

and the media took it on the chin for their lack of coverage of the previous administration. But the continuation of the previous administrations policies but also expanded would lead to some pushback at some point.

And let me also point out that the outrage isn't confined to the U.S. alone as the world has changed the last eight years.

[still_one]

24. They did not take anything on the chin, and still aren't objective in their self-critique

[AgingAmerican]

29. There is a simpler explaination

The media is more corporate now. As such, the media will always push that which better favors corporations in the short term.

[pscot]

27. That's been true for the last 30 years

Look at the way the Clintons were hounded, from the day they took office.

[still_one]

30. Yes, but then Clinton sealed with the communication act, and deregulation, which made it worse for

[love_katz]

60. Television media has been supporters of the tighty Righties from the very beginning.

This tendency got worse during the 1960's when so many of us were trying to work for social justice, eco-justice, and a more liberal society in general.

Print media (newspapers and most magazines) have, unfortunately, also mostly been supporters of tighty Righty beliefs and causes (I am tempted to use the word crusades, in the place of causes).

In terms of the corporate owned media, all we have to do is follow the money to see what their real agenda is.

It was during the Sixties that some very small newspapers and magazines began telling the other side of the story of what was happening in our times. Many of these papers were distributed for free during that time period, and were created/produced/distributed by volunteers.

Hooray for the Free and Underground media. They helped open our minds by informing us of other viewpoints besides what the Military/Industrial Complex wanted us to know and believe.

Now we have the 'Net to help us get the word out, and connect to one another.

[treestar]

55. Which they always do

They cheer for Republicans and try to bring down Democrats.

[Hekate]

66. Where were they over 11 years ago, at the passage of the USA PATRIOT ACT

We knew. DUers knew and proto-DUers knew, Oct. 26, 2001 when that thing was passed in a panic by the Congress. At that moment I saw that 9-11-2001 had provided the opportunity of a lifetime for somebody.

So, the media "helped". The short attention span of Americans helped. Even the amnesia of some DUers has helped.

[pnwmom]

12. Snowden engineered this. He could have limited his releases to documents related

to U.S. surveillance, but instead he's purposely releasing information to damage US relations with other countries -- first with China, while we were negotiating with China; and then about Russia, just before Obama met with Putin.

[Cooley Hurd]

13. No, Snowden told us about it. It was engineered by the US Government.

[pnwmom]

25. The US government classified the documents as secret.

Snowden's the one who has been engineering their release.

People who think diplomacy can take place in an atmosphere of total transparency are incredibly naive. Do you see anyone releasing documents from China or Russia? Why doesn't Wikileaks ever release any of them??

[Cooley Hurd]

28. They have...

[Hekate]

33. Really?

[pnwmom]

40. Do you have a link for that?

[Harmony Blue]

42. Yeah we are simply watching this all unfold

and how the U.S. government has lost face around the world.

[still_one]

23. Absolutely right. This is much more than outrage against spying on Americans, this is an agenda

Going on. Ah gee, IRS scandal, hmmm, ah gee, Libya scandal, etc etc

All this shit coming to head at the same time. So easy to,believe that Hastings was murdered for some by the US, but absolutely no reason to believe that all this muck being thrown at Obama is just coincidental

Coincidental my ass

[RobertEarl]

31. Wait a minute

We've been told that "we knew about the spying since 2004"

You mean the 'allies' didn't know, but we did?

Nothing to it, except that Snowden opened a can of worms, is all.

Why are all you folks running around with your hair on fire over this? You knew it was going on for close to 10 years.

[still_one]

36. No, there is more to it than that. Frankly, when Russia and China go out of their way to protect

Him, this is more than just for propaganda purposes, it is for secure information he leaked

[RobertEarl]

43. What secure information?

Do tell us.

Are you saying Obama actually allowed a privately hired, high school dropout whose girlfriend danced around a pole, to access secure information that could damage foreign relations?

My gawd, if you are right, then Obama's administration has been playing footloose with who the hell knows what!!



No, of course not. You are way out of line attacking Obama like that. Shame on you.

[still_one]

50. He provided information on U.S. Cyber Spying & hacking of Hong Kong. Coincidently, right when China

was in the U.S. discussing China hacking us. He released information at the G20 that they are being spied on.

and since charges have been brought officially against them, I kind of suspect they have evidence that much was taken and divulged by him to foreign interest.

[RobertEarl]

52. Eh?

We were spying on China? OMG. See how dumb that is for you to get so upset about? We were spying on China? Were you the last to know?

You think China didn't know? I doubt there was any serious new info that Snowden told China. But if there was, then the Obama administration has a lot of questions to answer about how they let Snowden access that info.

[pnwmom]

39. They finally found a "scandal" that could hurt Obama.

And it's surveillance debated by Congress and passed as part of the Patriot Act.

Who are all these people who are acting shocked by all of this? Haven't they been paying any attention at all?

[CakeGrrl]

45. Exactly. Timed to mess with US foreign relations.

That's why he's running. He knows he's in deep shit for breaking serious laws.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

2. Maybe you should send him a card?

Obama is a big boy, he can take it. You on the other hand seem on the verge of a total nervous breakdown.

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. lol

Cheers!

[Kolesar]

6. weak.... eom

[Cali_Democrat]

21. A nervous breakdown or a total nervous breakdown?

[JaneyVee]

3. It is a blow to diplomacy. I'm starting to think Mr. "Thank God for wars" is a NeoCon trying to

drum up a global war.

[treestar]

5. A blow to foreign policy goals

How could any American think that's a good thing? It is the height of ODS to prefer embarrassment to Obama to damage to international relations. I guess some find themselves not to be American if Obama is the President.

[pscot]

41. This doesn't have to be about Obama

The press hasn't really gone there. I think it's a mistake to personalize it. You're doing your cause a disservice.

[treestar]

57. Then you're disagreeing the the OP

On the media's gleefulness.

[CakeGrrl]

46. Agreed.

And I strongly believe there are some supporting what Snowden has done as a way to stick it to the President. They'll yell and holler that it's about civil liberties, yadda yadda, but I'm sticking with my theory.

[morningfog]

7. That tends to happen when you spy on your allies.

[pnwmom]

14. China is not an ally. And both China and Russia have long histories of spying on the US. n/t

[morningfog]

15. Did you miss the revelations that we have been spying on our allies?

[pnwmom]

20. So? Are you calling China and Russia allies? nt

[morningfog]

64. Ahem.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023127646

[Harmony Blue]

22. According to Schumer they were supposed to be "allies"

oops.

[Logical]

61. Then why not stop trade with them? n-t

[pnwmom]

62. Because trading with a country is sometimes a step to improving relations

in general.

[Hekate]

35. Which allies have we been spying on? Because neither China nor Russia is our friend...

... and you should never forget that. We have trade agreements with them. We have diplomatic arrangements. They are not our allies.

So which allies, exactly, are we doing the nasty to?

[morningfog]

65. How about the EU?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023127646

[scarletwoman]

9. Well, lie down with dogs...

Obama chose to defend the NSA, I'm fresh out of sympathy.

[pnwmom]

16. And most Americans are fresh out of sympathy for Snowden,

since he switched his focus from US surveillance to interfering with US diplomacy.

[Cha]

26. Yeah, it's Snowden who's scurrying off to Russia and

Matt Drudge is cheeering for Putin. He's got some company around here.

GOPathetic @GOPathetic

So, Matt @Drudge is now rooting for Putin over his own country. Keep it classy.

https://twitter.com/drudge/status https://twitter.com/drudge/status/348812517356748800

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/23/rise-and-shine-535/#comments

[LittleBlue]

10. I am too

A little humility never hurt anyone

[Cha]

17. Fuck the US media and all those who suck on their crap. They're Yukking

it up now but my money is on President Obama. Not some assholes in the media and the Libertarian bullshit.

[ProSense]

19. Well, at least

"In a major embarrassment for President Barack Obama"

...they've hit on the meat of the situation. From misinformation and Snowden's claim of "criminality," they've been reduced to cheering on an "embarrassment."

The glee and hyperbole over Greenwald/Snowden's attempt to embarrass the U.S. and create an international incident is a sight to behold. Everyone should have seen that the goal wasn't a debate over the NSA as much as it was to embarrass the U.S.

I mean, countries are expected to take their opportunistic pot shots.

The dust will settle on the hype and misinformation, and any issues that need to be addressed will be.

President Obama has been one of the most successful in international relations, and that's not going to change.

[flamingdem]

34. primo analysis

embarrassment is what they want to achieve, even if Obama really doesn't care that much. For all we know there is a level of relief with Snowdon off in Ecuador. Unless of course he really has some "bombshells". We're still waiting for them - Glenn!

[Cha]

32. And yet, the media Loses.. as well as those who are rooting for

embarrassment of President Obama. Ha. The fucking US media and whiners have been trying to do this for 6 years.. and, since they have shit.. they just can't get a purchase.

"The remarkable consistency of President Obama’s job approval numbers"

New numbers from Pew Research Center tell that story. Forty nine percent of respondents approved of the job President Obama while 43 percent disapproved. Those numbers are remarkably unchanged from where Obama stood in a January Pew poll despite the fact that the past five and a half months have seen the failure of the White House’s attempt to change gun laws, the IRS scandal, evidence of an improving economy, the NSA revelations and plenty of other “major” news events.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/06/19/the-remarkable-consistency-of-president-obamas-job-approval-numbers/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1102&pid=11168

[flamingdem]

37. Yes, nice try but no cigar

once again!

Have to give "them" credit for cooking up a duzy with this Snowdon character though!

[sheshe2]

48. Bingo!

[Cha]

51. Hi she!

Go China Go Russia.. Go Putin! Not.

[Eleanors38]

38. MSM is infotainment and Obama looks like a nail to their hammer...

The binary dynamic is Dirty Laundry: Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down.

Cool hand Obama is eminently set up for this treatment.

[Enrique]

44. the lamestream gotcha media

who do they think they are, reporting on things that are happening. Next thing you know, they're going to ask him questions!

[Cali_Democrat]

47. So now DUers love the corporate-controlled media

Go figure.

[newmember]

49. good

[madrchsod]

53. china, russia ,and the usa all spy on each other

did snowjob have access to the highest clearance at nsa or defence dept? from what i have read he didn't have that level of clearance. so what does he have in his computers? i'm betting it`s stuff all sides would not want to be known publicly but privately they`ll get over it and gone on with business as usual.

the real problem is he exposed the nsa and other government agencies letting private contractors sell our information on the open market. that`s the real story we should be talking about.

[Cali_Democrat]

54. Agree!!!

[davidpdx]

63. The truth is we don't know what he's got

He could be bluffing, he could have things that are damaging. One of the points I've been making is that the way security clearances have been given are very questionable. We've been hearing about faked background checks. That is not a good thing.

[Rex]

56. The M$M loves these kind of moments.

They need a scandal (anything really) against him so their paymasters will be pleased enough to write another paycheck.

[JoePhilly]

59. Particularly as we head into the summer, which tends to be a slow news period.

No election in the fall to get excited about.

Economy has been slowly improving.

No really good disasters currently.

[Union Scribe]

58. You still can't think past Obama.

This is a black eye for the COUNTRY. It is a NATIONAL embarrassment.