I still get a bit tense when I remember reading The New Digital Age. (Written, not coincidentally, by Schmidt and Jared Cohen - ex State Department staffer, current Google visionary.)

It is, to an impressive degree, a love letter to the US government. It shows absolute faith in the ability of technology experts to help remake the world, spreading information worldwide for the benefit of all - but only the right information. As Assange put it in a cutting review: "...this isn’t a book designed to be read. It is a major declaration designed to foster alliances."

I don't think it's particularly hard to understand Google's high-level engagement with the US government; it represents a chance to diversify revenue while supporting ideological positions Schmidt has openly embraced for years. Nor is it surprising that government-aligned leadership is facing dissent in a professional that's historically been somewhere between suspicious of and allergic to government and surveillance.