Pres. Obama Cancels Vladimir Putin Meeting In Moscow After Edward Snowden Granted Asylum
LOS ANGELES — In a rare diplomatic rebuke, President Barack Obama called off an upcoming Moscow summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, sending a stern message of disapproval over Russia's harboring of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.
Although U.S. frustration with Moscow has been growing over other key issues such as missile defense and human rights, it was Russia's decision to grant Snowden asylum in defiance of Obama's repeated requests that dealt the latest blow to uneasy U.S. relations with a former Cold War foe.
Wednesday's announcement is likely to further strain the relationship, even as the U.S. seeks Russia's cooperation on Syria and other pressing issues. Canceling the meeting, scheduled for early September, denies Putin a prominent moment just as global attention will be turning to a major economic summit that Russia will be hosting.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/o...
Although U.S. frustration with Moscow has been growing over other key issues such as missile defense and human rights, it was Russia's decision to grant Snowden asylum in defiance of Obama's repeated requests that dealt the latest blow to uneasy U.S. relations with a former Cold War foe.
Wednesday's announcement is likely to further strain the relationship, even as the U.S. seeks Russia's cooperation on Syria and other pressing issues. Canceling the meeting, scheduled for early September, denies Putin a prominent moment just as global attention will be turning to a major economic summit that Russia will be hosting.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/o...
PRESIDENT OBAMA TO JAY LENO, on-set at "The Tonight Show" in beautiful downtown Burbank, re the threat to embassies : "[I]'s a reminder that for all the progress we've made -- getting bin Laden, putting al Qaeda between Afghanistan and Pakistan back on its heels -- that this radical, violent extremism is still out there. ... One thing I've tried to do as President is not overreact, but make sure that as much as possible the American people understand that there are genuine risks out there. ... And the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to bed is making sure that I'm doing everything I can to keep Americans safe." (Applause.)
--On surveillance: "We don't have a domestic spying program. What we do have are some mechanisms where we can track a phone number or an email address that we know is connected to some sort of terrorist threat. And that information is useful."
--On last week's lunch with Hillary Clinton: "I invited her. ... She had that post-administration glow. (Laughter.) ... By the end of my first term, we had become genuinely close and I could not have more respect for her. She was a great Secretary of State, and I'm very, very proud of the work she did." (Applause.)
LENO: "Did you notice her measuring the drapes or anything like that?" (Laughter.)
OBAMA: "No. Keep in mind, she's been there before. ... So she doesn't have to measure them." ...
LENO: "Is it me, or do I see kind of bromance with you and John McCain? (Laughter.) I remember you two had that lovers' quarrel for a while. And, oh, now, .. you're best friends."
OBAMA: "That's how a classic romantic comedy goes, right? (Laughter.) Initially you're not getting along, and then you keep on bumping into each other. (Laughter.) ... [H]e deserves credit for being somebody who is willing to go against the grain of his own party sometimes. It's probably not good for me to compliment him on television." Story and video http://politi.co/17x7YRT