US Officials Freak Out Over Russia Giving Snowden Temporary Visa
from the well-of-course dept
The news of the morning, of course, was that Russia had agreed to grant Ed Snowden a temporary one-year visa, so that he could at least leave the airport (which he promptly did). In response, US government officials seem to have lost all perspective in making it sound like this is the worst offense ever:
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called it a “slap in the face of all Americans.” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., called the development a “setback to U.S.-Russia relations.”
[….]
“If these reports are accurate, Americans in Washington should consider this a game changer in our relationship with Russia,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement, calling Russia’s decision “provocative” and “a sign of Vladimir Putin’s clear lack of respect for President Obama.”
A slap in the face? A game changer? Who do they think they’re kidding? The White House is being equally ridiculous if only slightly less hyperbolic, in suggesting it may cancel an upcoming Putin/Obama summit:
“We’re extremely disappointed,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. “We’re evaluating the utility of a summit in light of this and other issues.”
You know what? These arguments would have a lot more weight if they didn’t come a day after the US government was able to successfully convict a guy who leaked classified documents to the press in order to blow the whistle on government wrongdoing. And the fact is that the American public is increasingly realizing that, yes, Ed Snowden is a whistleblower, not someone guilty of “espionage.” And yet the US government is trying to paint him as some sort of evil hacker spy.
However, the very fact that Congress is actually having the debate about these programs, that the NSA and the FISA Court are declassifying various documents, and that it’s clear that the NSA’s surveillance powers are going to be somehow limited, seems to support, very strongly, the claim that Snowden was, in fact, a whistleblower. The defenders of the government can whine and moan about this or that, but if they wanted to have any credibility on this topic at all, perhaps they shouldn’t have tried to brand Snowden as a criminal when everything that’s happened since has proven he’s a whistleblower.
Filed Under: asylum, barack obama, bradley manning, ed snowden, russia, visa, vladimir putin
Comments on “US Officials Freak Out Over Russia Giving Snowden Temporary Visa”
Senator McCain, you seem to have left some words out...
While you said
‘…slap in the face of all Americans.’
…I’m fairly sure you meant
‘…slap in the face of the NSA, the USG, and all others who prioritize their personal power above their responsibilities to the US citizenry.‘
Re: Senator McCain, you seem to have left some words out...
Agreed. Slap in the face of the Federal government perhaps, but I know an increasing number of people, myself included, that no longer trust the federal government nor consider them to speak for us.
Re: Senator McCain, you seem to have left some words out...
Agreed. Slap in the face of the Federal government perhaps, but I know an increasing number of people, myself included, that no longer trust the federal government nor consider them to speak for us.
“slap in the face of all Americans”
How times have changed, it should have been a trip to the woodshed.
Uh huh.
What about when the US tried to plant missiles in Eastern Europe aimed at Russia – supposedly to defend against middle-eastern rogue states – despite Russia making it very clear that they didn’t like the idea?
Hypocrites.
“Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called it a “slap in the face of all Americans.””
This dipshit doesn’t speak for me. The things Snowden revealed the gov’t is doing are the real “slap in the face to all Americans.”
Angry Grampa and Clown face
McCain and Graham, outraged?? SURELY NOT!
“That one guy” nailed it however.
Seems more like a wake the fuck up slap to the back of the head if you ask me.
Here’s ?100m/$151m “slap in the face of all Americans”, McCain…
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/01/nsa-paid-gchq-spying-edward-snowden
Our tax dollars are not only funding the NSA but the GCHQ as well.
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Yeah because there’s no law against GCHQ spying on US citizens at home.
Not sure which country it’s most shameful to, probably the Brits because they still had a feeble illusion of pride but the US has no shame.
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What else do you think the ‘special relationship’ is about?
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What else do you think the ‘special relationship’ is about?
Gay sex between heads of state?
Re: Re: Re:2 Gay sex...
Nah. More like anal sex between heads of state and all their mutual citizens…
“If these reports are accurate, Americans in Washington should consider this a game changer in our relationship with Russia,”
In that this shows Russia is now more compassionate than the US?
“a sign of Vladimir Putin’s clear lack of respect for President Obama”
Oh come on…Was that a surprise? What reason is there for him to respect Obama? A title? Psh, it takes more than that when you have equivalent titles.
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I have myself lost all respect for Obama, and I voted for him three times – twice for President, and once in the first primary… Time to give myself a dope slap! I should have voted for Hillary!
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Would Mrs. Monsanto be any better? What has she to say about all this? There’s no indication that she even wants to run for 2016 but if she does, she’d do well to a) cut ties with Monsanto and b) start slamming the surveillance state and working to dismantle it.
I don’t listen to what they say, I look at what they do, and damn it, I want to see some real, meaningful action on this.
“We’re evaluating the utility of a summit in light of this and other issues.”
Oh please. Trying to act like this would make a summit useless? It makes a summit all the more important if you want to get Putin to do what you want. Especially now that Snowden’s in Russia proper, not some place where Russia can pretend they don’t have jurisdiction. Sure, if Snowden starts hanging out at someone’s embassy they can’t just grab him, but it still makes it tremendously easier to keep track of him, and keep him from going anywhere. No more need to panic any time someone’s plane takes off (or alternatively, no more people claiming you grounded their plane to look for Snowden).
So let’s get this straight.
The United States government is persecuting a man who leaked documents exposing abuse by government officials and the Russian government is standing strong for human rights and granting him protection.
Are we FINALLY going to get the cool fuzzy hats with ear flaps for everyone here?
What if I have a “clear lack of respect for President Obama” and pretty much every other politician or security agent at this point?
Did the Cold War ever really end?
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Well, it did at least warm up a little bit. We are no longer worried about the world getting blown to bits. Talking of the cold war though…
What I considered a “slap in the face of all Americans.” was Obama coming out saying “we need another sputnik moment” and then shortly after that he kills the space shuttle program making us buy rides into space from….. Russia. Is it just me that finds those two things put together extremely insulting?
Follow that up by our government feeling the need to promise “we won’t torture or kill him”….. It seems like every day I get up and loose a little more respect for the government. I’m not even sure how it is possible anymore really….
I was once proud to be an American, and I guess in some ways I still am. I am proud of what this nation once was and of the ideals it was built on. What I am ashamed of is what our government has become and what it is doing to this nation.
Re: The Cold War ended??
Nope, our corrupt leaders & appointed officials have turned on the American People. All US citizens (and visitors both here & abroad) are now the “Enemy of the State”. “We The People” now fear our Government when in reality, the Government should fear the people. After all, they are supposed to be working FOR US, aren’t they? We have become the punch line for a sick joke…
As a 100% Disabled & Decorated US Naval Veteran, I am fed up with the embarrassment of their corruption & greed. Revolution or not, we need immediate reform and plenty of sweeping out the TRASH!
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Not according to the military-industrial complex…
Obama starting to lose it over Smowden
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/08/obama-starting-to-lose-it-over-snowden.html
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From that article, a great quote:
Putin cleared his throat early on and reminded the US that Russia had no extradition treaty with the US and in general did not extradite people. Packing Snowden off because the US asked for him was not on the table. Putin took the position that the Snowden wasn?t worth exploiting for his annoyance value to the US: ?It?s like shearing a piglet: a lot of squealing and little wool.?
A very “diplomatic” way of saying “Stick it up your nose!” I think. 🙂
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no extradition treaty, until Russia wants someone from the US..
Then you’ll simply use Snowed as a pawn and bargaining chip..
Snowden is going to have a ‘great’ time in Russia.. LOL
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You wish, darryl.
How’s grappling with the reality that Australia is a haven of government-sponsored Adobe piracy working out for you? Did you tell your solar panel wife yet, or is your dick still too sad to do it?
Did Snowden REALLY Leave the Airport?
Did anyone actually SEE him leave?
And if so, was there anyone accompanying him?
Re: Did Snowden REALLY Leave the Airport?
There were photographs online of his departure from the airport and he is supposedly in the company of someone from WikiLeaks.
Also
“We’re evaluating the utility of a summit in light of this and other issues.”
Could the “other issues” they are referring to possibly be the discovery that the US “collects” all internet traffic / phone calls / whatever… from their citizens?
Could Mr. Obama be arrested in another country for violating their privacy laws, should he enter their country?
Re: Re: Did Snowden REALLY Leave the Airport?
“There were photographs online of his departure from the airport and he is supposedly in the company of someone from WikiLeaks.”
There are photographs of him showing his back, not his face.
Since we all know that body doubles are never used in tv and movies (Stars do all their own stunts), that’s conclusive proof…
The real slap in the face
The REAL “slap in the face of all Americans” was the establishment of the single most intrusive spying complex in modern history.
The REAL “slap in the face of all Americans” is half of Congress STILL SUPPORTING this unconstitutional plan under the guise of national security.
McCain et al certainly don’t speak for me.
Re: The real slap in the face
Well said!
McCain doesn’t speak for anyone I know and he certainly doesn’t speak for me either.
Asylum, etc.
Obviously Putin is embarassing Obama and yanking Obama’s string. Putin can claim with a reasonably straight face that Snowden will not get a fair trial in the US because of Manning’s conviction. Also, as an old intelligence hand, Putin realizes the real value of Snowden’s leaks is that the NSA is run by idiots. Concentrating on collecting vast amounts of useless metadata is not smart and Putin knows this. Both Manning and Snowden showed the incompetence of the US Government and embarassed some very narcissitic people. These people want their pound of flesh out of both.
Re: Asylum, etc.
Well, it’s more or less confirmed that the Russian Government does have the technical expertise of the Karspersky at their disposition, so yes, they have a better grasp of the technology and how to use it to find their targets. And, as strange as things look to the westerners, your average russian is right now enjoying most freedom since ever – thanks to technology and internet.
haha oh man, can they not see the planet size hypocrisy and irony of their actions.
– US (is caught) spying on everyone
– Defends it as being necessary (although its against everything they stand for and is blatantly unconstitutional)
– Snowden goes to China/Russia because the US is not safe for Whistle blowers. (ie they get tortured and life in prison and the actual criminals and the people who gave the orders to commit war crimes and unconstitutional orders go free)
– Clapper lies, Alexander lies and Mike rogers lies to everyone.
– After torturing him, The US throws the book at manning with ancient espionage charges.
– The US stomps their little feet when a Visa is issued to snowden (a hero) who would like not to be tortured for telling the truth.
Irony overload.
I think eventually every country and maybe even the pirate bay will end up having a copy of the NSA’s database on everyone at the rate they are selling it at. You can’t sell something you want to be secretive to other people and expect it to remain a secret, you can’t buy absolute security. I would expect the NSA to understand that tidbit of security 101.
Or maybe they just don’t care, as long as “their” names aren’t on that database, why would they care if people’s identity gets stolen or worse?
So, what will be the changes that the U.S. will implement in their relations with Russia from now on? Europe is their main trading partner, and Asian countries are right behind. U.S. comes on 10th, and with a lot of strings attached that simply inconvenience Puttin, who don’t want to share political power in Russia. So, if after 20 years the Americans have not invested strongly in Russia, it won’t be now, recovering from a recession and probably on the eve of another bancary and fiscal collapse that they will start. So, why should Russia pass an easy opportunity to score a bunch of international goodwill? They will only anger USA, the British and peeve a little Germany – that’s a plus on their book.
“If these reports are accurate, Americans in Washington should consider this a game changer in our relationship with Russia,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement, calling Russia’s decision “provocative” and “a sign of Vladimir Putin’s clear lack of respect for President Obama.”
Whats he gonna do, start a war with Russia, and totally disregard those lives he claims to speak for
Re: Re:
Please don’t joke about that, I’m convinced they would do it without even a second thought
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As much as I hate war, it would be interesting to see how would the yanks fare when not facing goat herders with 20yo weapons, but an advanced army.
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You are picking a fight with the yanks who are the very reason you aren’t speaking german right now as a national language?
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[citation needed]
yanks did not help us when germany forced an “alliance” with my country. yanks did not even help my country to kill off the remaining nazi forces. The soviet union “helped” us, and stayed for a few years (150). Get your facts right pal, you did less than what you think you did.
>Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called it a “slap in the face of all Americans.”
That old sack of shit needs to keep his fucking mouth shut. The only slap in the face here is the constant lying by officials to cover up them shitting all over the 4th amendment in order to ‘protect’ everyone.
Well, I’m glad we can count on Russia to defend the constitutional rights of American citizens…
Re: Re:
Techdirt really does need a “sad but true” button.
Used to be this was the country you ran to for asylum from political persecution. Now it’s the country you run from.
The US has time and again granted asylum to political refugees from Russia and other communist countries. Now it’s bad enough that Russia and these other communist countries are to be desired over the US.
What’s wrong with this picture and who deserves the slap in the face? So far my tally says the idiots in Washington are the ones deserving of being on the receiving end.
These arguments would have a lot more weight if they didn’t come a day after the US government was able to successfully convict a guy who leaked classified documents to the press in order to blow the whistle on government wrongdoing.
How do you not understand that leaking classified documents is illegal. Manning was convicted for exactly that. Seriously, how many of the 700,000+ documents “blew the whistle”….. not that it particularly matters? Manning sure as hell doesn’t know because it is unlikely he read the vast majority of them.
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He did blow the whistle to many atrocities that occurred over there but the US government did exactly what they are trying with Snowden. To label him a terrorist and hope that the revelations blow over.
You obviously just believe whatever congress tells you!
how dare you
Give asylum to a humanitarian USA hero that was doing his patriotic DUTY and exposed government corruption!
Americans NEED a slap in the face…and a kick in the butt.
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No, we WANT it.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement, calling Russia’s decision “provocative” and “a sign of Vladimir Putin’s clear lack of respect for President Obama.”
Note how Graham spins this against Obama even when he purports to defend America. Disgusting.
does the US government think that Russia is worried what it thinks? if it does, i would suggest it thinks again. i haven’t heard any whining from Russia about the possible collapse of peace talks or summits. i doubt very much if they give two tosses what the US does! had there been some honesty out of Washington instead of all the bull shit and bollocks, blaming Snowden for committing such diabolical sins that the country was going to leave Earth and never come back and Manning basically had done the same monstrous deeds, informing everyone that even in war time, soldiers who are supposed to be highly trained and obey orders, stick their fingers up, ignore those in command and shoot whoever they bloody well feel like. what these two instances have been about is people having the nerve and the conscience to tell it how it is, instead of letting nothing but lies get to the people everywhere. the truth is what it has been about and the government ‘cant handle the truth’, to coin a phrase, at least not when everyone knows what it is!
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World conquest is elusive. Just when you think you got the world by the cahonies, some other force for change pops up. Taking your cahonies with it.
What about Obama’s lack of respect for the American citizens that elected him and their privacy?
and what did i say before
the nation that gives snowden a home gets my vacation doh…and i’ll add the list of nations that say they will and have aided him….they certainly seem a far better place to vactino in then the usa, and its list of thugs…
ya know obuma you really boned up on this one….you lost major pr to the russians and you aint getting it back.
nice quot eby putin
Putin took the position that the Snowden wasn?t worth exploiting for his annoyance value to the US: ?It?s like shearing a piglet: a lot of squealing and little wool.?
hehe i swear he’s certainly the right guy to lead a nation he won’t mix words.
Re: nice quot eby putin
He’s got his own page on Badass of the Week.
Good luck Snowden.. you'll need it..
and the snowden pawn show starts.. with all side asking ‘how can we exploit Snowden for our best gains”.
“how can we get more political points and power by exploiting this not-so-bright traitor and spy”.
If you think Russia is all that is goodness and righteousness then you need to be prepared for a major disappointment.
Re: Good luck Snowden.. you'll need it..
You, coming from a country where 1984 is in the public domain and the government encourages its citizens to pirate Adobe software, have really no right to any claim of moral superiority, not even by your standards.
Snowden a whistleblower? He held that title at the outset given the nature of what was being disclosed, but to some he long ago lost that title when it was reported that some of the information disclosed by him was unrelated to federal “snooping”.
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Snowden a whistleblower? He held that title at the outset given the nature of what was being disclosed, but to some he long ago lost that title when it was reported that some of the information disclosed by him was unrelated to federal “snooping”.
Huh? What information did he disclose that was unrelated to federal snooping? I’ve yet to see anything.
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It’s the information coming from AC’s rectum.
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This seems an awful lot with the source of the Govt talking points. Could it be Keith/Clapper/Obama is commenting on techdirt? o.o
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Problem is nobody outside of Snowden and those to whom he has given copies of all the files he downloaded know what those files contain. All they know to date are the dribs and drabs that the Guardian reporter has released in his news articles. Of course, it does not help that Snowden has stated copies have been positioned at various international locations, threatening to use them as a blackmail tool at his unfettered discretion.
Release extent of data being collected and by whom? “Whistleblower”. Start treading beyond that line by taking and threatening to disclose unknown information and the title begins to quickly tarnish.
To the Moon, Snowden
It would be nothing less than disappointing to see this government not go after this Snowden character if for no other reason than to scare the bjesus out of every other murky character waiting somewhere in the dark precipaces of the institutions where they are daily exposed to the most secretive and potentially damaging information this country has on everyone. To the moon, Snowden