Kerry Fails to Retrieve Snowden Using Stick; Switches to Wheedling Carrot

[wtmusic]

"JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday softened the tone of the American requests to Russia to hand over Edward J. Snowden, the fugitive former national security contractor who is accused of revealing surveillance programs."

Stick:

"...Mr. Kerry warned then that the failure to hand over Mr. Snowden would have "consequences" for the United States' relations with Russia and China. At one point on Monday, Mr. Kerry made a sarcastic comment about the lack of Internet freedom in Russia and China. "

Carrot:

"...there are standards of behavior between sovereign nations,” he said. “There is common law. There is respect for rule of law. And we would simply call on our friends in Russia to respect the fact that a partner nation, a co-member of the Permanent 5 of the United Nations has made a normal request under legal assistance for law to be upheld.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/world/europe/kerry-russia-snowden.html?src=recg

[madrchsod]

1. sicing the dog on kerry won`t work for putin

he pushed around bush but neither kerry or his boss ain't afraid of putin

[DirkGently]

2. Kerry. The Sec. State the Republicans said we could have.

The man's been in politics so long he doesn't speak human anymore. Everything's crafted; overwrought; opaque.

We lost a big asset when Hilary Clinton stepped down. I don't know how she'd be handling this, but it wouldn't sound like mealy-mouthed gibberish.

[Waiting For Everyman]

3. He has a lot of nerve playing the rule of law card.

He should go school the NSA and his boss about the rule of law.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. Putin Says Snowden in Airport, Shrugs Off 'Nonsense' U.S. Accusations - St Petersburg Times

Maybe Kerry should arm-wrestle Putin to get Snowden.

http://sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=37514

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday acknowledged the whereabouts of fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden but said "any accusations against Russia are nonsense and rubbish" and urged the fugitive to leave as quickly as possible.

Nevertheless, Putin said Tuesday that Russia had no intention of giving Snowden up, that the fugitive had never received any sort of assistance from Russian security services and that he was "a free man, the sooner he picks a final destination, the better it is both for us and for him," Kommersant reported.

In comments to Interfax, the president said he wanted nothing to do with such affairs, neither with WikiLeaks nor with Snowden.

Ever since the 30-year-old former NSA contractor supposedly arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport from Hong Kong on Sunday, Washington has put tremendous pressure on Russia to extradite the fugitive to the U.S. and avoid giving him shelter him or refugee status.