Not quite the same: the American ambassador waived Kent's diplomatic immunity so the Brits could arrest him at home.
In the Assange case, the Brits would apparently have to violate the embassy's extraterritoriality, which would be a Big Deal, though at this point, no gangsterish imperial enormity on the part of America's Favorite Lapdog could possibly surprise me.
The whole business ironically reminds me of that Hungarian cardinal -- Mindszenty? -- who spent decades in the US embassy in Budapest. Sovs never went in and pulled him out; but they were relatively civilized people, unlike the Brits and their masters.
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Michael J. Smith mjs at smithbowen.net
http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org http://fakesprogress.blogspot.com http://cars-suck.org
For my part, I abominate all honorable respectable toils, trials, and tribulations of every kind whatsoever.