Ecuador granted political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. This decision thrilled supporters but did not defuse the standoff at the Latin American nation's London embassy. Assange's recognition as a political refugee by Ecuador's left-wing government was a big symbolic victory for the embattled ex-hacker. One still wonders how he will ever leave the embassy. "We're at something of an impasse," lawyer Rebecca Niblock said shortly after the news broke. "It's not a question of law anymore. It's a question of politics and diplomacy."