Prediction: Russia Will Trade Snowdon For Viktor Bout

It is clear that Russia is in the driver's seat in this affair.

abcnews.go.com...

Edward Snowden is "under the care of the Russian authorities" and can't leave Moscow's international airport without their consent, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa told The Associated Press Sunday in an interview telegraphing the slim and diminishing possibility that the National Security Agency leaker will end up in Ecuador.

Correa portrayed Russia as entirely the master of Snowden's fate and said Ecuador is still awaiting an asylum request from Snowden before deciding its next moves.

This story was published on June 30th. The following from the same story is also interesting.

abcnews.go.com...

Ecuadorean officials believe Russian authorities stymied the country's efforts to approve a political asylum application from the former NSA systems analyst, according to government officials with direct knowledge of the case.

Those officials said Ecuador had been making detailed plans to receive and host Snowden. One of the officials said Russia's refusal to let Snowden leave or be picked up by Ecuadorean officials had thwarted the plans. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the case by name.

The Russians have had Snowden in custody for two weeks. That's an awful lot of jaw time. Anyone who thinks that our hero, Edward Snowden, is driving this bus anymore is out of his tree.

Maybe I'm wrong about that too.

it looks like Snowden is at least fighting for control of the wheel. He has written an open letter to Brazil offering to trade help with their NSA spying problem for asylum in that country.

That is a very interesting development. Will Russia let him go? Will Brazil choose to aggravate an already aggravating relationship with the United States even further by taking Snowden up on his offer?

It will be very interesting to see what transpires.

Has Russia decided to get rid of someone who really doesn't fit in with its plans anyway and who could only be expected to chafe under the sort of restrictions that Russians have grown used to?

Has Russia communicated with the Americans about Snowden and decided to maneuver him into going to a country where the Americans might be able to grab him more easily than in Russia?

Follow the bouncing political football, Edward Snowden.