Have you watched the Oliver/Snowden Interview? Did Snowden squirm?

[DisgustipatedinCA]

On my lunch break that just concluded, I watched the John Oliver interview with Ed Snowden. I didn't really know what to think beforehand, having seen claims in GD that Snowden squirmed, and counterclaims saying he didn't. Well, he didn't. John Oliver conducted a tough interview, and Snowden handled himself very well. John Oliver is to be commended for conducting a tough (interspersed with humor) interview. Had Oliver pitched all softballs to Snowden, we would have read about that here, about how Snowden has it easy and never has to answer tough questions. But Oliver did ask tough questions. Do we see anyone saying, "I don't agree with Snowden, but he did answer some tough questions"? No, we don't see that. We see the usual crew caterwauling, this time about "squirming". In other words, there was no possible outcome for that interview that would've caused Snowden's detractors on this site to admit that Oliver conducted a good interview and that Snowden did a good job fielding the questions. Both of these things are true, but you'll never hear that from the fixers.

Poll time. Please mark the response that most closely matches your views. In the context of the poll choices, "squirming" should be taken to mean uncomfortable with the questions being asked, fear of having something about oneself exposed, fear that the interviewer is getting too close to something the interviewee would rather not discuss. Conversely, I've chosen the word "poised" to mean the opposite of "squirming".

I am not an unbiased observer. If I were voting in my own poll, I would have chosen "I saw the full interview, and Snowden was poised".

2 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	I saw the full interview, and Snowden was squirming.
	0 (0%)
	I didn't see the interview, but I believe Snowden was squirming.
	0 (0%)
	I saw the full interview, and Snowden was poised (opposite of squirming)
	2 (100%)
	I didn't see the interview, but I believe Snowden was poised.
	0 (0%)
	I'm oppositional by nature, and I require an "other" blank. I'll explain below.
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Marr]

1. He might have been a bit uncomfortable when

watching the 'man on the street' clips of people confusing him with Julian Assange, but apart from that , I really don't know what people are talking about with the 'squirming'.

[djean111]

2. Those people who "saw him squirming" are engaging in wishful thinking, that's all.

[Marr]

3. They certainly don't seem to have watched the same interview I did.

It really seems like they're just repeating someone elses' claims.

[lame54]

4. I saw it...

it has nothing to do with whether you agree with him or not

John Oliver asked some legitimate questions regarding the amount of secrets he took and whether he vetted them all before handing them over to the press - Snowden said he read them all then backtracked - there was definitely squirming

[R B Garr]

5. He squirmed in the beginning. Then he relaxed when he realized he

really was talking to a comedian.

[MrMickeysMom]

6. I think he was taken aback before he realized the comedy of it all...

John Oliver probably does that to people, if only big brother would zero in on their faces as we watch his show!

[Electric Monk]

8. Yes, it was a little awkward when he was asked if he missed Florida or TruckNutz

He seemed to really have his shit together talking about the real issues, though.

My favorite part was the "man on the street" interviews where most didn't even know who he was, but were nearly unanimous about "shutting down the government dick pick program". He explained PRISM and UPSTREAM pretty well, which is what we should really be talking about, instead of attacking the messenger.

The end of the interview was hilarious: "Well, if you weren't on the list before, you surely are now."

[R B Garr]

10. It definitely was a comedy piece. I don't know why it's being called

an "interview." Although I know I've read things that a lot of people, especially the younger crowd, are getting their news through pieces such as this, it still was more of a comedy segment. I don't know why people were expecting much more of it than that.

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Visibly squirmed whenever asked a question that he knew would expose one of his lies.

In the fantasy of some viewers, that is.

[2naSalit]

9. I haven't had a chance to watch it

yet and have no intent to take any one else's view of it seriously until I have seen it myself to decide.

[Electric Monk]

12. Here's the video, for those who missed it

and sabrina1's earlier thread on this http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6466128

[joshcryer]

11. When Snowden said he read it all...

...and when Oliver pointed out no one gave a shit about foreign surveillance.

[Snow Leopard]

13. Did not

Feel he was squirming at all

[Autumn]

14. I was gonna pick other cause dead intern guy said Edward squirmed but I just went

with poised because Snowden and Oliver rocked that interview but I like typing the lie told by dead intern guy because it shows what an ass dead intern guy is. If he says it, it's a lie. Take that to the bank.