Quote (bogie160 @ Jun 9 2013 04:57pm)
It'd be outrageous if the United States government just had one of their own (white) citizens killed overseas when everybody knows that they did it. I'm not sure how that'd look for Obama, and I don't think the Democratic Party really wants that on their record, especially given how publicized his story has just become. The problem with having the Chinese do it is that the United States would be suspected regardless, and I'm not sure we want him data-mined by the Chinese for NSA policy.
Unless the NSA / CIA has gone rogue, I think it'll be extradition and prosecution, not assassination.
There are ways to do it without them being blamed. Though he probably bought himself some more time because he released his name. The problem with extraditing him is how do you know how the court is going to react? In a military court, you basically get your wish every time. In a civilian court, he could win.
An assassination doesn't have to happen now, it can happen later after people have forgot. I assume he's going to leave Hong Kong at some point, so if he goes somewhere else (A non-US ally), it's probably a dangerous country where you can discretely dispose of him and make it look like an accident. People will suspect, but accusations without proof don't mean much.