Politico has a three-page article showing how helpless and powerless Barack Obama has been in getting countries across the world to help his administration apprehend Edward Snowden, former National Security Agency contractor who leaked classified documents about top secret electronic surveillance programs.
The Obama administration charged Snowden with espionage, then revoked his passport, then demanded Hong Kong detain him and surrender him to the United States.
Hong Kong allowed him to leave, on a flight to Russia.
And there’s no spinning away the story of Snowden’s continued freedom: Obama and his administration couldn’t talk Hong Kong into extraditing Snowden before he left the city, a special administrative region of China, and have minimal sway with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Read the entire Politico article.
“There’s not a whole lot I can say except that this is both a head-snapper and an eye-roller for the U.S. and for American officials — including the highest level one — who have been trying to work with Russia,” said Strobe Talbott, a former deputy secretary of state. “Putin personally, and his government, are not sorry to have opportunities to tweak the U.S.”
The fact that the United States has already rescinded Snowden’s passport didn’t stop him from leaving Hong Kong for Moscow on Sunday — headed, WikiLeaks said, for the Republic of Ecuador.
Then the Obama administration tried to pressure Russia into preventing Snowden from leaving Moscow.
That hasn't quite worked out, yet, either, according to Reuters:
As speculation grew about where he would go next, Washington was stung by Russian defiance.
Snowden's flight to Russia, which like China challenges U.S. dominance of global diplomacy, is an embarrassment to President Barack Obama who has tried to "reset" ties with Moscow and build a partnership with Beijing.
The White House said it expected the Russian government to send Snowden back to the United States and lodged "strong objections" to Hong Kong and China for letting him go.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to India that it would be "deeply troubling" if Moscow defied the United States over Snowden, and said the fugitive "places himself above the law, having betrayed his country".
But the Russian government ignored the appeal and President Vladimir Putin's press secretary denied any knowledge of Snowden's movements.
Asked if Snowden had spoken to the Russian authorities, Peskov said: "Overall, we have no information about him."
He declined comment on the expulsion request but other Russian officials said Moscow had no obligation to cooperate with Washington, after it passed legislation to impose visa bans and asset freezes on Russians accused of violating human rights.
Even if Obama eventually manages to round Snowden up (he has to find him first because no one in the Obama administration seems to know exactly where he is) the countries around the world have publicly humiliated Obama, making it clear they not only do not fear him, but they hold no respect for him, nor the United States under his presidency.
Snowden, who left Hong Kong for Russia over the weekend, had been expected to board a Cuba-bound flight from Moscow on Monday morning, but was nowhere to be found on that flight.
Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder whose team is assisting Snowden, claimed on a conference call to know Snowden's location, but would only say that he is "healthy and safe."
"He's in a safe place," Assange said. "We cannot go into further detail."
Assange and his colleagues accused the U.S. of trying to bully other nations into turning him over, claiming Snowden can potentially claim refugee status. Though the U.S. revoked Snowden's passport, Assange revealed that Snowden was supplied with a refugee document when he left Hong Kong by the Ecuadorian government, allowing him to travel.
Assange said Snowden has applied for asylum in Ecuador, Iceland and possibly other countries. Meanwhile, Ecuador's foreign minister said Monday that the country was considering Snowden's request.
The desperation shown on the part of the Obama administration, by allowing the U.S. to appear weak so publicly, does bring about the question of what they think Snowden still has by way of disclosures, documents and proof of Obama's spying antics. Domestically and internationally.
Obama's impotence has damaged the United States' powerful image so badly that it could take decades to get it back.