Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Obama cancels visit with Putin

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 24 posts

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#11

Post by monsterix »

orthecreedence wrote: post #5

The US is like a screaming child throwing a tantrum right now. We were not so long ago lauded as the greatest nation in the world. Now we're stamping our feet and breaking relations with other powerful nations over the stupidest issue. Here's a thought: if you don't want whistleblowers, don't do things that make people blow the whistle. Maybe in the next few decades we'll learn that meddling in everyone else's busine…

> /rant

It's not a rant sir, it's rather a serious thought. Calling it a rant unnecessarily trivializes the problem at hand.

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#12

Post by mhurron »

orthecreedence wrote: post #5

The US is like a screaming child throwing a tantrum right now. We were not so long ago lauded as the greatest nation in the world. Now we're stamping our feet and breaking relations with other powerful nations over the stupidest issue. Here's a thought: if you don't want whistleblowers, don't do things that make people blow the whistle. Maybe in the next few decades we'll learn that meddling in everyone else's busine…

Politics and diplomacy is and always has been childish. The US isn't acting any different than any other country has in the same situation.

They're all playing the same game.

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#13

Post by mtgx »

carbuncle wrote: post #4

How about every european country refusing to speak with president Obama because there has been "not enough recent progress in our bilateral agenda" citing lack of proof that US gov. has indeed stopped all kind of wire tapping on our communications...

Yeah, I'd like to see other countries do this to US, not US being the one pretending to be "upset" about it.

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#14

Post by raverbashing »

orthecreedence wrote: post #5

The US is like a screaming child throwing a tantrum right now. We were not so long ago lauded as the greatest nation in the world. Now we're stamping our feet and breaking relations with other powerful nations over the stupidest issue. Here's a thought: if you don't want whistleblowers, don't do things that make people blow the whistle. Maybe in the next few decades we'll learn that meddling in everyone else's busine…

It's not the stupidest issue. Absolutely not

Don't you think he's getting some "interesting" visits and talking about "curious" topics?

What else does Edward knows about?

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#15

Post by orthecreedence »

mhurron wrote: post #12
orthecreedence wrote: post #5

The US is like a screaming child throwing a tantrum right now. We were not so long ago lauded as the greatest nation in the world. Now we're stamping our feet and breaking relations with other powerful nations over the stupidest issue. Here's a thought: if you don't want whistleblowers, don't do things that make people blow the whistle. Maybe in the next few decades we'll learn that meddling in everyone else's busine…

Politics and diplomacy is and always has been childish. The US isn't acting any different than any other country has in the same situation. They're all playing the same game.

Perhaps you're right, however I hold my country to a higher standard than "I'm not talking to you because, um, you won't give my balloon back!!"

I have lived a short life compared to some, but I've never seen anything that equates to what is happening now.

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#16

Post by northwest »

orthecreedence wrote: post #5

The US is like a screaming child throwing a tantrum right now. We were not so long ago lauded as the greatest nation in the world. Now we're stamping our feet and breaking relations with other powerful nations over the stupidest issue. Here's a thought: if you don't want whistleblowers, don't do things that make people blow the whistle. Maybe in the next few decades we'll learn that meddling in everyone else's busine…

Absolutely spot on.

And: People are repeating "Never forget." - and at the same time, people seem to have forgotten that there was a time when we had no terrorism (true story!).

The question nobody's asking anymore: What is the reason for terrorism? How did we get there?

Nowadays, fighting some symptons seems to be all we can come up with. (The only reason I can see for this is: Because it's big business.)

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#17

Post by harrytuttle »

orthecreedence wrote: post #5

The US is like a screaming child throwing a tantrum right now. We were not so long ago lauded as the greatest nation in the world. Now we're stamping our feet and breaking relations with other powerful nations over the stupidest issue. Here's a thought: if you don't want whistleblowers, don't do things that make people blow the whistle. Maybe in the next few decades we'll learn that meddling in everyone else's busine…

> We were not so long ago lauded as the greatest nation in the world.

Only Americans ever thought this. The rest was propaganda.

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#18

Post by singular »

When I first clicked on this I assumed it was over the blatant homophobia in Russia, but no it's over them giving asylum to a whistleblower because if he goes back to the US he will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in jail + 23hrs/day in his cell.

I'm beginning to wonder whether the US even cares anymore about maintaining the illusion of its moral superiority.

Obama, what a disappointment you turned out to be.

UPDATE: That'll teach me for not fully reading TFA. He does mention the homophobia but seemingly in passing. The Snowden issue takes priority, apparently. My points stand.

/politics

Re: Obama cancels visit with Putin

#20

Post by orthecreedence »

raverbashing wrote: post #14
orthecreedence wrote: post #5

The US is like a screaming child throwing a tantrum right now. We were not so long ago lauded as the greatest nation in the world. Now we're stamping our feet and breaking relations with other powerful nations over the stupidest issue. Here's a thought: if you don't want whistleblowers, don't do things that make people blow the whistle. Maybe in the next few decades we'll learn that meddling in everyone else's busine…

It's not the stupidest issue. Absolutely not Don't you think he's getting some "interesting" visits and talking about "curious" topics? What else does Edward knows about?

I'm sure there would be much less "interested" parties in other countries, say in South America? Why would we try to force any planes down supposedly carrying him there if we really wanted him to leave Russia? I would think he'd be a lot easier to extract (via Seal team et al) from a poorer South American country than a superpower like Russia.

Also, if the US hadn't waved around words like "treason" maybe he'd be a bit keener on coming back of his own accord.

I think we've screwed up multiple times here on an issue that, in the grand scheme of things, is fairly petty. Now we're digging ourselves deeper.

Post reply on HN