US fury at Snowden's Russian asylum

[morningfog]

The US has labelled Russia's decision to grant asylum to fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden as "extremely disappointing".

The White House is reconsidering a meeting scheduled for next month between President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The US wants Mr Snowden extradited and tried for leaking secrets.

Mr Snowden, who left a Moscow airport transit zone for the first time since June, thanked Russia for its action.

'Stab in the back'

Mr Obama had been scheduled to meet Mr Putin on the sidelines of a G20 summit in early September in St Petersburg.

However, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "We're extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and in private to have Mr Snowden expelled to the United States to face the charges against him.

"We're evaluating the utility of a summit in light of this and other issues."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23543807

[leveymg]

1. If the situation were the reverse, we would have done exactly the same thing - except, perhaps,

controlled the airspace so their whistleblower could travel to a 3rd Country, as originally planned.

[usGovOwesUs3Trillion]

2. RAT FUCKED: The Spying Totalitarians are all done

This was their worse case scenario, a whistleblower who was able to successfully attain sanctuary, which inspire even more whistleblowers

[99Forever]

3. Hey authoritarians...

... cry me a fucking river.

[GlashFordan]

8. Best response ever nt

[Major Hogwash]

4. Good response by the Obama White House.

I don't think having a sideline meeting with Putin would do any good if Putin isn't even willing to follow international law and extradite Snowden.
Snowden is not a refugee, no matter how many times he claims that he is.

[morningfog]

5. They look petty and disingenuous.

[RC]

7. Russia has every right to do what they did. You don't know your international law very well.

[Go Vols]

9. +1

[wtmusic]

10. What does international law say about extrajudicial assassination?

Obama doesn't seem to have a good response for that.

[RC]

6. Manning was the tipping point in Russia's decision to grant Snowden asylum.

Manning was punished for exposing all the war crimes we did, while the criminals who did them go free.

[DonCoquixote]

11. hey NSA, suck it up

Besides, we know this idiot will become the cute puppy that grows into an ugly dog, the sort Comrade Putin will have taken to the back and shot. As Emma Goldman can tell you, the Russians are quite ruthless in the way they deal with their allies.