Is Snowden buying asylum by fanning the flames of anti-Americanism?

[MADem]

94. No country worth living in will take him.

He'll get to Germany when pigs fly. He's STUCK in Russia, and that's the way Pootie likes it. Pootie is using that poor fool, and probably his thugs RECRUITED him--even as Pootie pretends he doesn't know much about the boy. See: http://www.smh.com.au/world/vladimir-putin-calls-edward-snowden-a-strange-guy-20130904-2t5qd.html

His visa can be renewed--he's not at the mercy of a ticking clock. After a year in country, he simply has to reapply. And he has to keep doing this for five years, or so--then he can get Russian citizenship, lucky Ed!

Of course, we have a couple of Russians that Pootie DEARLY wants back. If we were willing to trade them, Ed would have reason to sweat. Bottom line, though--Ed is a prisoner in a gilded (and soon to be very cold and snowy) cage.



Now, since he's running out of dough (I guess Assange isn't sending him any more money?) he has to work for a living. One theory out there is that Assange "sold" Snowden to Pootie...it's an interesting one, for sure. Funny how Assange hasn't released much Russian data with his wiki revelations, even after he promised to so do. Did he make a deal with Vladimir? Inquiring minds want to know....



In Europe, here's the unspoken truth. Those countries affect faux outrage and say "WE don't spy!!!!!"

What they don't say is "We pay the US--in base rights, in overflight rights, and in other considerations--to do OUR spying FOR us!!!" That way, they can play the "clean hands" game, but the intel apparatus knows better.

What was Snowden doing when he was working for CIA in Europe? You seriously think, with a straight face, that our allies were in the dark as to CIA's activities in their countries? Of course not.

But plausible deniability has its place. USA can afford to play the Big Bad Guy. It's a role we take on regularly. Funny how all these governments that get elected by railing about how awful we are continue to snuggle up to us after they've gotten their ministers installed.