June 26, 2013

"Time may be running out for U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden to get out of Russia."

"The former National Security Agency contractor has been holed up in the transit area of Moscow airport since Sunday, but Snowden may only have been given a Russian transit visa valid for three days...."
"Transit passengers who have a ticket for a connecting flight and documents necessary to enter a third country can get a Russian transit visa.... If Snowden has these documents, then he has the right to apply for a transit visa right in the airport, in the consular point, and could well have done that."
This sounds like the boring part of the movie "Casablanca." Why can't he get another transit visa?

60 comments:

Nomennovum said...

I've been to Russia. Vultures. Vultures everywhere.

Snowden better be careful.

rhhardin said...

Paula Deen: let him who is without sin cast the first pie.

I think it applies everywhere.

Edmund said...

He can't get letters of transit because DeGaulle is dead. And Ugarte's train was delayed.

Edmund said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

He has no valid passport to travel. No passport, no visa.

mccullough said...

Jason Bourne, he is not.

Clyde said...

Schadenfreude is such a dirty emotion, but I'm feeling it every day that Obama gets rolled by people like the Chinese and the Russians. I probably wouldn't be feeling it if I thought that Obama being successful in ANYTHING would be good for the country. Sadly, the only things he's likely to succeed at, like running roughshod over the Constitution in declaring War On Coal, are going to damage America immensely. So I'm going to continue to laugh at him every time the foreigners give him the finger, kick him in the groin and take his lunch money.

Anonymous said...

He has no Ingrid Bergman

bagoh20 said...

I find it hard to believe he would not be doing the dishes naked in Putin's kitchen, if that's what Putin wanted right now. It's Russia, and it's run by a KGB dictator who kills bears with karate.

Nomennovum said...

He has no Ingrid Bergman.

Yes he does, but unfortunately she is not with him. He left his hot stripper gf back in the USA. This is probably because she is crazy like a stripper, in addition to being a smoke show.

To the stripper's credit, she was quite upset by the separation, it seems, which is very unlike Ilsa, who barely hesitated before offering to cuckhold her devoted husband.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

It taxes the mind to imagine a hole somehow going up.

gerry said...

To the stripper's credit, she was quite upset by the separation, it seems, which is very unlike Ilsa, who barely hesitated before offering to cuckhold her devoted husband.

Ilsa the Cuckholder, now appearing at Rick's. Careful how you spell it.

Michael Haz said...

Why can't he get another transit visa?

Because Putin hasn't said 'yes'. And why should he? The longer he keeps Snowden, the more he can rub it under Obama's nose. And the more he can wring out of Snowden.

"Airport Transit Area" is a euphemism for the KGB rooms at the airport. That's where Snowden is, allegedly.

Beth said...

Or he could end up like Tom Hanks in The Terminal. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362227/

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Why can't he get another transit visa?

The price of his beans is coming down with each passing day.

MadisonMan said...

Since this entire article is based on the supposition in the first sentence, the next sentence could have been...

or he may not be running out of time.

Michael Haz said...

And after the KGB has gotten what it wants form Snowden, he will be worthless to them.

Being worthless to the KGB is a short career path.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

To quote from another Transit movie...

It looks like Snoweden picked the wrong time (administration) to leak in.

The MSM chooses to care more about "national security" these days.

traditionalguy said...

Does Snowmen need a job to pay off his student loans...no he was smart enough to avoid that trap.

The World of 2013 may not be as smart as Snowden.

He is road runner to coyote Obama.

traditionalguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Clyde said...
"So I'm going to continue to laugh at him every time the foreigners give him the finger, kick him in the groin and take his lunch money."

I'll laugh if that kick is literal, and his lunch money is not from our pockets.

Roughcoat said...

There's a boring part to "Casablanca"?

Anonymous said...

"Airport Transit Area" is a euphemism for the KGB rooms at the airport. That's where Snowden is, allegedly

He's probably being shocked, shocked! this very minute.

J said...

The headline sounds hopeful doesn't it?Bad writing worse reporting-one unconfirmed government source.

Saint Croix said...

There's a boring part to Casablanca?!

Saint Croix said...

LOL Roughcoat

Saint Croix said...

only the most awesome frickin' movie made by anyone anywhere

X said...

There's a boring part to "Casablanca"?

the part without Madonna.

Anonymous said...

Michael Haz said...
"The longer he keeps Snowden, the more he can rub it under Obama's nose. And the more he can wring out of Snowden."

Snowden is wrung dried. The only thing left now is to "rub it under Obama's nose" and shows the world "who is boss". "Man, will you stick with Obama, the incompetent butt of a joke, or me, the macho man?"

Gosh, the Great Satan collapses so fast so hard: lost two wars in the Islamic world: snatched defeat from victory in Iraq, begging the Talibans for peace in Afghanistan. The most pathetic sight is he still tries to puff up his scrawny chest to scare the Syrians.

Anonymous said...

Blogger Saint Croix said...

only the most awesome frickin' movie made by anyone anywhere

6/26/13, 11:32 AM
______________________________________

Watched again a couple of months ago.
Still one of the greats. Transcends time. Fresh at every viewing.

edutcher said...

Unfortunately, the part of Louis Renault is no longer played by Claude Rains.

Roughcoat said...

There's a boring part to "Casablanca"?

Almost all of it.

Deb said...


Reminds me of The Human FActor by Graham Greene.

Nomennovum said...

Ilsa the Cuckholder, now appearing at Rick's. Careful how you spell it.

Thanks. Must have been thinking of the Weiner-Holder presidential ticket.

Anonymous said...

Via today's "Stars and Stripes"

"... Two U.S. intelligence officials say members of virtually every terrorist group, including core al-Qaida, are attempting to change how they communicate, based on what they are reading in the media, to hide from U.S. surveillance - the first time intelligence officials have described which groups are reacting to the leaks. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak about the intelligence matters publicly.

The officials wouldn't go into details on how they know this, whether it's terrorists switching email accounts or cellphone providers or adopting new encryption techniques, but a lawmaker briefed on the matter said al-Qaida's Yemeni offshoot, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, has been among the first to alter how it reaches out to its operatives..."

Thanks Snowden.

rhhardin said...

Casablanca means white house.

AllenS said...

LarsPorsena said...
Via today's "Stars and Stripes"

... Two U.S. intelligence officials say members of virtually every terrorist group, including core al-Qaida, are attempting to change how they communicate, based on what they are reading in the media, to hide from U.S. surveillance - the first time intelligence officials have described which groups are reacting to the leaks. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak about the intelligence matters publicly.

This administration leaks all of the time, only they want to control the leaks. I wouldn't be surprised to find out most of the information that Snowden has is related to spying on US citizens and not foreign terrorists.


AllenS said...

bold added by me

AllenS said...

Not added but highlighted. Geez.

edutcher said...

As Fausta notes, Snowden picked Ecuador because its strongman is a Hugo wannabe.

Not exactly Victor Laszlo.

Robert Cook said...

"Via today's "Stars and Stripes"

'... Two U.S. intelligence officials say members of virtually every terrorist group, including core al-Qaida, are attempting to change how they communicate, based on what they are reading in the media, to hide from U.S. surveillance - the first time intelligence officials have described which groups are reacting to the leaks. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak about the intelligence matters publicly.

'The officials wouldn't go into details on how they know this, whether it's terrorists switching email accounts or cellphone providers or adopting new encryption techniques, but a lawmaker briefed on the matter said al-Qaida's Yemeni offshoot, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, has been among the first to alter how it reaches out to its operatives...'

"Thanks Snowden."


6/26/13, 12:02 PM

Why do you believe anything said by anonymous sources who belong to and speak on behalf of the same intelligence community that is guilty of raping our Fourth Amendment rights, (among other probable crimes)?

It has always been wise to assume that official (or supposedly "leaked") statements by our government are lies. Now, given what Snowden has confirmed, we can never accept as truth anything said by our government unless and until it is corroborated by unimpeachable evidence.

Cedarford said...

Elkh 1 - Gosh, the Great Satan collapses so fast so hard: lost two wars in the Islamic world: snatched defeat from victory in Iraq, begging the Talibans for peace in Afghanistan.

To be fair, those two wars were lost once Bush and the Neocons redefined success to mean pouring over a trillion dollars to nation-build the "noble freedom lovers" who were busy trying to kill "The Heroes" (Coalition of the Willing Troops).

Obama is Nixon without the competence, save at getting women to love him and campaigning well.

NIxon also inherited a steaming pile of shit when we last got in the middle of a civil war to "save the Freedom-lovers of Vietnam from themselves." But Nixon got us out about as adroitly as he could have given a Cold War was raging.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Snowden's hitting the magic reset button over there, on behalf of Obama.

It's behind a poster in one of their grand commie train stations. Top secret stuff

Original Mike said...

Time may be running out?

Does he turn into a pumpkin?

edutcher said...

Maybe it's more like "Men In Black"

Kay: You remember "Casablanca", right?
Jay: Yeah.
Kay: Same thing, just no Nazis.

Robert Cook said...

"But Nixon got us out about as adroitly as he could have given a Cold War was raging.


Hmmm...if you call interfering in Johnson's negotiations with the North Vietnamese in order to prevent a peace agreement to be made--which would have hurt or killed his chances to win the Presidency--and simultaneously lying about a "secret peace plan" in his campaign for the Presidency and then, in office, escalating, expanding and prolonging the war needlessly for the duration of his first term and continuing into his second term, ah, "adroit."

None Dare Call It Treason

But, wasn't it?

It seems to be have been the real reason for the Watergate break-in.

Anonymous said...

LarsPorsena, "The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak about the intelligence matters publicly."

Still believe the official leakers' "disinformation"?

Now the enemies wise up, the only targets left to snoop are "we the people", yes?

AllenS said...

Mr. Cook, from your cite there's this at the very end:

At the same time, it’s pretty clear that the LBJ and Nixon presidencies were mirror images of one another. Both men were incredibly paranoid and willing to break the law on a routine basis—and knowingly tape record themselves doing it for posterity! In this case, LBJ was illegally spying on Americans and surreptitiously providing illegally obtained, classified information to Humphrey for the sake of a political campaign.

Mark Trade said...

Whatever! The boring part is Paris.

Revenant said...

None Dare Call It Treason But, wasn't it?

Not under the definitions specified in the Constitution. Trying to prevent a peace treaty with the enemy might be morally wrong, but it pretty obviously doesn't consist of lending the enemy aid and comfort!

Robert Cook said...

Allen S.

Do you assume I offer an endorsement of either man? They were both criminals who should have been prosecuted.

My point was only to dispute the notion that Nixon had somehow "adroitly" got us out of a disastrous war, when he demonstrated his willingness to extend it--resulting in years more death, maiming and destruction of Americans and Vietnamese alike--simply to realize his political ambitions.

Robert Cook said...

"Trying to prevent a peace treaty with the enemy might be morally wrong, but it pretty obviously doesn't consist of lending the enemy aid and comfort!"

I think there's plenty of room for debate on that point.

edutcher said...

For once, Cook's got a point.

Cedarford said...

In office, Nixon was negotiating in ernest to get the War done because it was shit, he wanted the casualties to ramp down exponentially, the POWs brought home... and he had an ambitious foreign and domestic agenda that the War hindered.

The N Vietnamese jerked him around. In memoirs of the leaders, they confessed that dragging negotiations was policy, policy the Soviets also strongly backed.

What happened in 1972 still gets leftists shivering in outrage, but the N Vietnamese leadership, the Soviets were scared out of their wits when the B-52s started bombing the North, with harbors mined and fear that Nixon was going to go for the dams and electric grid next and do a full blockade.

The memoirs say Nixon forced them to start negotiating seriously and the POWs...which the Vietnamese wanted to hold until at least 1976 as the prime bargaining chip..lost that value because the bombing was bringing N Vietnam to the brink of collapse.

Cedarford said...

And to this day, the POWs credit Nixon with doing what was needed to get them back.
Their 40th reunion following being freed was held at the Nixon Library, not at the ACLU or one of John Kerry's mansions.

No accident.

jimbino said...

Yo Ann,

Why not run one of your reader polls asking whether Snowden is a hero or a traitor or something in between?

Lydia said...

I like this Putin quote:

Using a homey metaphor at a news conference in Finland on Tuesday, Putin indicated Snowden simply wasn't worth the trouble: "It's like shearing a piglet: a lot of squealing and little wool,'' he said.

From a good piece at The Atlantic about Putin's fondness for humiliating Washington.

Robert Cook said...

"In office, Nixon was negotiating in ernest to get the War done because it was shit, he wanted the casualties to ramp down exponentially, the POWs brought home...to this day, the POWs credit Nixon with doing what was needed to get them back."

Cedarford:

The Viet Nam vets obviously don't know Nixon worked to keep the war going longer than it might otherwise have gone on, that he would have been happy to let them kill and die and be maimed physically and mentally in a wretched war, simply so he could be President.

We don't know whether Johnson's attempted peace negotiations would have succeeded on their own had Nixon not interfered, or whether they would have failed and the war would have continued for another half dozen years, (as it did, in any event). However, that Nixon tried to sabotage the peace negotiations, that he was willing to let countless more human lives be destroyed simply for his career ambitions is beyond despicable.

Joe said...

Snowden is another narcissist who doesn't know when to shut up. The initial revelations were fully justified; but, he didn't stop there and has likely revealed genuine secrets. He's turning from a folk hero into a traitor.

traditionalguy said...

How does anyone know what Snowden is doing?

Reading Pravda like PR releases of rumors is a big nothing.

Paul said...

What makes anyone think he is still in Russia?

Anyone actually SEE him?

Puden is ex-KGB, and he can order another passport for Snowden any day of the week. The Russian spy service can get it for him (or a price that is.) And any other country that wants to take him could just send him one (again for a price.)