I wouldn't call it 'burying the lede' but there was an interesting tidbit in the last two paragraphs of this story.
Snowden's Leaks on China Could Affect Its Role in His Fate
By KEITH BRADSHER Published: June 14, 2013 [in the New York Times]
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Most of the story is about whether Snowden could be useful enough to China that they'd see to it he could stay in Hong Kong. It explores different ways he might be useful.
But what caught my eye was those last two paragraphs. They're the first thing below the fold.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that Britain had issued an alert to airlines around the world warning them not to bring Mr. Snowden to its soil, and threatening them with a fine of 2,000 pounds, or $3,125. Geoffrey Robertson, of London, who was an initial lawyer for Julian Assange during the WikiLeaks dispute, criticized the alert as unusual because it was being applied to someone who has denounced government policies.
"This is a power hitherto used only against those who incite terrorism, race hatred and homophobia — never before against whistle-blowers," Mr. Robertson wrote in an e-mail. "The British government is simply afraid that its judges, who are fiercely independent, and the European court would embarrass its closest ally by ruling that Snowden could not be extradited because, even if his "revelations" prove to be mistaken, he would be subjected to oppressive treatment akin to that being meted out to Bradley Manning," the American Army private accused of having leaked secrets in the WikiLeaks case.
The British government is telling airlines not to dump a diplomatic problem in their lap. But they're not telling it all that loud; it sounds more like they're whining. A fine of 2000 pounds? That's only about twice the price of a one-way economy ticket from Hong Kong to London. Business class would cost around twice the amount of the fine. Are they saying, "If Edward Snowden travels from Hong Kong to Iceland, don't let him change planes in London; or if he
has to do that, keep it quiet."?
A cursory perusal of airline sites suggests that Heathrow would be a logical place to make a connection if someone wanted to fly from Hong Kong to Iceland. And it seems the trip would require a change of airlines, and likely a prolonged layover wherever you made the connection. The government currently in power in Britain is probably taking some heat already over the standoff on trying to extradite Julian Assange. I can't imagine they want a similar case, that might end up with Edward Snowden also holed up in some embassy.
Some other thoughts on this revealing quote: It seems the Bradley Manning case has tarred the reputation of the United States to the point that we fall into the same category as the countries that used to be the destination when the CIA did "extraordinary rendition." In the future we might have trouble getting extradition on anyone who could make a plausible case for political asylum. All the government officials calling for Snowden to be tried for treason (if not summarily shot) certainly strengthen the case for asylum.
Granted, this quote was from Geoffrey Robertson, of London, who was an initial lawyer for Julian Assange during the WikiLeaks dispute. He may have an interest in overstating the fuss about WikiLeaks, Assange, and Manning. But still, it sounds as though we've sunk to the status of being an embarrassment, at best, to our closest allies. We used to be "the freest country in the world," didn't we?