thierry ehrmann It would be too much to say that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange feels optimistic. He's been holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for more than two years now, with cameras and police—"a £3 million surveillance operation," he calls it—just meters away. "There's a sense of inevitability now," Assange said when we asked if his situation might change. Assange: "The situation is clarifying politically and legally." Ars: "I just want to be clear on this point—are you saying you're hopeful you'll be free soon?" Assange: "I wouldn't say hopeful.