Ed Snowden: Leakers “should be shot in the balls,” and "cut this Social Security bullshit"

[MADem]

422. Ideology goes out the window when cash goes on the barrel.

No one--least of all Maduro, who is up to his chin in mierda these days--is going to put principle ahead of billions, especially in the context of the rather dire situation that VZ finds themselves in. They can't even operate a "just in time" economy. When basics like toilet paper can't make it to the store shelves, never mind flour for arepas, cooking chickens, and other very basic market basket items, that is indicative of an economy in grave crisis. The Boligarchs try to suggest that it's a massive plot by "enemies" and "evildoers" (they're holding the toilet paper hostage, perhaps?) but it's indicative of pisspoor management. Ya gotta pay your bills, otherwise the deliveries won't keep coming. Ya gotta plan ahead, and order before you run out.

Now, if the Russians, or the Chinese (who already own a TON of the debt of both Ecuador and Venezuela--they've got their hands in everyone's pockets) decided to pick up the banner and ease their debt in exchange for giving Snowden a room, well, anything could happen. I don't think Russia has the scratch to do that without pain to their own economy. I also don't know if China wants to throw billions at a country for that reason, particularly since they know it would just piss us off, and we're they're largest customer. And we Americans can turn off our 'consumerist' urges if we get pissed off enough.

I think that's why Beijing told Hong Kong to get rid of Snowden--they flipped the script. I'm sure back in the halls of power of Beijing, they're laughing their asses off at how they managed to extract the maximum "benefit" from the Snowden Imbroglio, unload him just in time so that US didn't get totally bullshit at them, and further, turn him into "Putin's Problem." It's a Win-Win-Win for the People's Republic, that's for sure!