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To apply pressure on the US government regarding the revocation of his passport making it impossible for him to reach Ecuador or where ever, of course. He's stu
by cheald 13y ago
To apply pressure on the US government regarding the revocation of his passport making it impossible for him to reach Ecuador or where ever, of course. He's stuck in Moscow due to his passport being revoked and Putin's basically told him that he's not welcome there. He's in a tight spot.
You'll notice he never once mentioned the documents or their contents in this message. He's not "making the story about himself" - he's using the media as a tool to apply pressure to the forces aligned against him in the hopes of securing his safety.
- diminoten 13y agoWhat pressure does a statement from the man himself apply to the US? I fail to see how this improves his situation one whit.
- cheald 13y agoIt's a plea for public support. By raising Obama's profile as an oppressor, he hopes to turn public sentiment against the sitting government. As someone else said, remaining silent lets his opposition control the discourse. You can see this clearly in the frenzy of stories in the media about Snowden's stripper girlfriend and the "IS HE A COMMIE SPY?" headlines. Providing a counterbalance makes it harder for the government propaganda machine to sway public opinion against him and turn him into Just Another Terrorist.
- cpleppert 13y agoI don't think it reads like a plea for public support, if it was intended as such then it isn't worded well. It reads like a bunch of other wikileaks press releases that are generally political statements about the importance of transparency. The problem is that if he wants public sympathy he needs to avoid coming across as having political motives and if he does want to make accusations then he must consider the possibility that they will backfire and cost him public support. A 'counterbalance' can often instead be a distraction which is what I fear happened here.