Not flip-flopping so much as requiring nuance.
Her whole case is cringe. Worth remembering she actually did break Russian law. A stupid law, but a real law. So yes, she’s an idiot. But idiocy is a minor offense of which we’re all guilty from time to time.
Her sentence is needlessly harsh, and conditions in Russian prisons are abysmal. She should be freed, but not at unlimited cost. If the cost Putin is demanding is a prisoner exchange for a Russian war criminal/arms dealer, then it might be too much. I’ve read that the guy they want has been out of the arms-trading business for so long that he’s not really a threat anymore. I have no idea whether that’s true. Either way, there’s no stopping us from arresting him again if he sets a foot outside Russia.
I broadly trust our U.S. diplomats to assess the cost-benefit and do what’s right. Bottom-line, I want what’s best for America, not what’s best for her.
It’s obvious she’s become a political pawn and Putin will do whatever with her that he feels is in his own interest. So while the case is no doubt interesting, caring too much about it is a mistake. She may come back, or she may be lost to the Russian gulags for good: Schrödinger’s b-baller.
I’m most interested in whether:
1. We can generate the same kind of sympathy for accused defendants who aren’t rich, famous basketball players, and;
2. Who were imprisoned by the feds or Aw Shucks Prosecutor Cleetus from Toad Suck, Arkansas rather than Putin Man Bad.
