Meanwhile, Ecuador prepares to extradite a blogger it offered asylum in 2008.

[TorchTheWitch]

35. Color me not surprised

I mentioned in a couple of threads that I believed the only interest Ecuador has in Assange is Ecuador. Assange having asylum within the embassy, only, is leverage for something they want from Britain (and maybe Sweden as well). Once both Britain (and maybe Sweden) and Ecuador are satisfied with the mutual back scratching in the back room Ecuador will hand him over. This is everything that being a diplomat is all about... the whole point of embassies really is to negotiate for wanted things from the host country, and whatever leverage can be brought to bear to get what you want or put yourself in a better position to get what you want, well, yee haw.

Assange was likely pinning his hopes on being given asylum in the country of Ecuador itself, but the fact that the asylum is only in their tiny London embassy should pretty much tell him he's screwed. Essentially, he created his own prison there. Jumping bail and holing up in the embassy really backfired on him. It royally pissed off both Sweden and Britain, which gives them no reason at all to grant him any favors and certainly not to give in to any of his demands because they know he's screwed himself. If he were smart he would have been spending the last two years while the case was going through the British court system trying to negotiate the deal he is now - he would have had some small leverage then, but now he's got nothing left to negotiate with and he's really pissed off both Sweden and Britain. The best hope he likely has now is to publicly turn himself over to Sweden without making any demands and try and gain more public sympathy and gain back what he's lost with this latest escapade of his.