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Wiki Hysteria

By Larry Johnson on November 28, 2010 at 2:13 PM in Current Affairs

Oh MY GOD!! Julian Assange has leaked thousands State Department cables and our world is going to end. Jesus SAVE US!! The world might be subjected to an actual moment of candor from a U.S. diplomat serving in Kazakstan. Oh the humanity.

If you have been trapped in a Chilean mine or otherwise occupied doing something meaningful you probably are out of the loop. NY Times has just published a news summary of this “AMAZING” data dump:

A cache of a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables, most of them from the past three years, provides an unprecedented look at backroom bargaining by embassies around the world, brutally candid views of foreign leaders and frank assessments of nuclear and terrorist threats.

Some of the cables, made available to The New York Times and several other news organizations, were written as recently as late February, revealing the Obama administration’s exchanges over crises and conflicts. The material was originally obtained by WikiLeaks, an organization devoted to revealing secret documents. WikiLeaks intends to make the archive public on its Web site in batches, beginning Sunday.

The anticipated disclosure of the cables is already sending shudders through the diplomatic establishment, and could conceivably strain relations with some countries, influencing international affairs in ways that are impossible to predict.

Sorry, but this is ridiculous.

As someone who drafted more than 1000 cables during my tenure at State, the notion that this leak is going to shake up US policy or damage our relations overseas is wishful thinking. The ones really jazzed about this are the media. Once again they are reacting like 13 year old boys getting their first taste of pornography only they are being shown pictures of Hooter’s waitresses.

If we are lucky we will find a 100 cables out of the more than 250,000 that will tell some uncomfortable but necessary truths. I encourage all of you to read through the cables posted. You will find mind numbing prose, banal details of largely meaningless meetings and a style of writing that is akin to Kabuki theater.

I am more worried by the apparent surprise express by the New York Times over the so-called “revelations” from the stash of cables:

Among their revelations, to be detailed in The Times in coming days:

A dangerous standoff with Pakistan over nuclear fuel: Since 2007, the United States has mounted a highly secret effort, so far unsuccessful, to remove from a Pakistani research reactor highly enriched uranium that American officials fear could be diverted for use in an illicit nuclear device. . . .

Gaming out an eventual collapse of North Korea: American and South Korean officials have discussed the prospects for a unified Korea, should the North’s economic troubles and political transition lead the state to implode. . . .

Bargaining to empty the Guantánamo Bay prison: When American diplomats pressed other countries to resettle detainees, they became reluctant players in a State Department version of “Let’s Make a Deal.” . . .

Suspicions of corruption in the Afghan government: . . .

A global computer hacking effort: . . .

Mixed records against terrorism: . . .

So basically, the State Department diplomats are reporting on matters that the press also is covering and our national security is at risk because we suspect members of the Afghan government are corrupt? Jesus, what next? Are you also going to make the shocking discovery that your parents had sex and you were conceived?

I suppose this is a nice distraction from the genuine worry that a war of terrible consequences will break out in Korea. But why worry about that when we can fret over Ambassador Snerdley’s candid observation that some third world tyrant is a corrupt asshole.

  • arabella trefoil

    Oh my goodness! This is reprehensible. When will the madness end? I thank my lucky stars that the New York Times jumped right on top of this story. The New York Times has often chastized the “blogosphere” for putting forth “unfiltered” news. What about editors and peer review?

    I must lie down for a while because I feel faint now.

  • creeper

    When will Julian Assange turn his attention to leaking the document that really matters?

  • Ghosts of Toyko and Dresden

    What’s next in consequence– Palin’s emails? Opps…

  • DM

    “So basically, the State Department diplomats are reporting on matters that the press also is covering and our national security is at risk because we suspect members of the Afghan government are corrupt?”

    Larry, it would make sense that the same diplomats that wrote the cables about the corruption in Afghanistan leaked the information to journalists.   Some things are too obvious.

  • Blue Moon

    Larry, thanks for covering this.  I am at a loss to understand a few things about these documents.  Maybe you can answer this for me.  First, if they are secret documents WHERE did Wiki get these documents?  2nd-If they are so explosive why does the state dept. not put a stop to the leak?  3rd-Is this administration allowing these documents to become public just for the hell of it?

    Thanks again and I hope you can clear my mind on this.

  • Larry Johnson

    Cables were copied by Private Bradley Manning and handed over to Julian Assange.  State has no means to put a stop to this.

  • Tricia

    Thanks Larry–I was anxiously awaiting your take on the NYT story!

  • room 237

    Reading what I have seen so far at the Guardian, most of this seems to fall into the “Thank you Captain Obvious” category.

    The real issue is whether it is possible for the US to keep a secret.

  • susiepuma

    My question is:

    How did this Private get access to this information in the first place & who helped him?  It takes awhile to copy all of this stuff even on a computer -

    2nd question – what’s the point of this? 

    3rd question – what does this albino creep hope to get out of this? besides his 15 mins of fame?

  • arabella trefoil

    I think the real issue is how lame the New York Times is. I get a subscription to Vanity Fair magazine (gift) and they (along with The New Yorker and the New York Times) are big time Obama ass kissers. Still. In the face of all the evidence.

    Any hoo, Vanity Fair ran an article about the battle between Rupert Murdoch (“I will destroy the New York Times!”) and Pinch Sulzberger. Talk about nausea inducing. Those people at the NYT really think they run the world. They make the insiders in DC look like amateurs.

    Take a look:

    http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/03/murdoch-to-sulzberger-you-are-a-girly-man.html

    Way to go, Pinch. You suspender-wearing elitist prick. Nice job taking a family business and running it into the ground. You have to read the article carefully to catch every nuance of Pinch’s douche bagginess. The NYT truly think they alone stand for truth, justice, and the American way. And fair play, good sportsmanship, upholding standards, the proper use of semicolons – in other words, everything that is holy.

    I get the New York Times “delivered to my home” because my husband likes to get a daily paper and my mother likes me to help her with the crossword puzzles. I await the day I can cancel the subscription. Our local Gannett rag is far superior because it contains the police blotter, valuable coupons, and reports the achievements of my fabulous neices and nephews. Plus, cat pan liner is cat pan liner, so what’s the diff?

  • sybilll

    I hate that I have become such a cynic.  But, it is acknowledged that the WH requested some info be redacted, and the NYT agreed to some, but, not all requests.  So, is it odd that the damning news that Hillary ordered Us diplomats to spy on other countries at the UN did not get redacted?  After all I have learned here, I am so jaded when it comes to any actions of the Obamas in regards to the Clintons.
    http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,731587,00.html

  • West Virginia

    sybilll.  I read that.  Spiegel makes it sound like they are breaking a story, rather than organizing text around redacted leaks.  I hope you are wrong.  I hope if any fun 100 cables come out of this that at least one will be something we don’t know.  You know what?  I bet the NYT and others in the MSM won’t bother mentioning the cables that show how good a job our folks are doing.

  • Yttik

    I’m convinced Obama has orchastrated the Wiki leaks himself to provide a distraction from his plunging poll numbers and numerous failures. What else is he supposed to do? Dancing With the Stars is over.

  • Im a Dr Kracker 3 Seeded Linda too

    test

  • TeakWoodKite

    Larry,

    1) How did a Private have access to un-encryptred data from such a wide array of departments?
    2) Is the access to this level of data not dual custody? Where the hell was this private’s NCO?!
    3) Why is Julian Assange not in jail with the traitor, Private Bradley Manning, as the Obama administration is saying it is against US law to release this info?
    4) State spokesmouth Crowley is quoted as saying that “people will be killed” over this release. True?
    5) How will this affect intel “sharing” across the allied services when it it is clear that the US can’t keep what happened in Vegas…in Las Vegas?

  • TeakWoodKite

    Who’s there?

  • TeakWoodKite

    Sybill. The UN is one big ass microphone. There are more “bugs” than coackroaches in that building. Even the non-demonial church across the street is wired as well as most of the eating and drinking establishments on 2nd ave.

  • Onofre’s arm

    Test?…………….Damn!…………..I haven’t studied!

    Thanks for dredging up an old recurring nightmare. :(

  • POdVet

    If this dork wants to release some secret documents that would truly shock the American public. He should try Obama’s actual records. They are obviously the most carefuly gaurded secret in the entire world!

  • Agent X

     Shows everyone how lame the press really is.

  • TeakWoodKite

    What the hell was his CO doing?

  • TeakWoodKite

     But why worry about that when we can fret over Ambassador Snerdley’s candid observation that some third world tyrant is a corrupt asshole.

    Great line. The cables go all the way back to Obama’s dad?

  • section9

    I’m of two minds about Wiki.

    First, you never hear any leaks from any Shanghai Treaty Organization countries, which leads me to the conclusion that WikiLeaks itself is either a Chinese Front group OR, as is more likely, simply an anti-American, as opposed to anti-war, organization.

    Second, if it is simply a boatload of anti-American types, I find it hard to get angry at the usual Transnational Anti-American crowd. U.S. internal security has been a joke since the Manhattan Project.

    It’s a tad hard to blame the thieves when we keep electing the same incompetent locksmiths over and over again.

  • TeakWoodKite

    Got Salt?

  • politicsisdirty

    Larry, who is the source of the leaks?

  • elaine

    I really haven’t followed the WikiLeaks story very closely however I must say I found the chopper footage showing the targeting & gunning down of the Reuters reporters extremely troubling, horrifying actually.

    As for Private Bradley Manning being solely responsible for leaking military tapes & data, I might be able to believe that, maybe. I guess I’m goofy enough to believe the Pentagon gave a young private a very high security clearance with no oversight BUT now I’m being asked to believe the same little private was also able to access confidential State Dept files & no red lights flashed. Sorry, it just doesn’t sound plausable.  

  • elaine

    google: PFC Bradley Manning & read for yourself what the few links that are still hot have to say. Was this kid a hacker savant or is confidential security @ the Pentagon & State a joke?

  • Hokma

    The reaction to Wikileaks embarrassment  is not much different than the government’s reaction airport security – - Bandaids.

    To blame this narcissist of Wikileaks for the exposure os these documents is a bandaid. If he were not around there would be someone else.

    First is how an army private could be in the position he was in the first place.

    The other is called social responsibility. Our government and I am sure others protect the facilitators of websites by indemnifying them against anything except child porn. The web host company for Wikileaks is a French company named “Octopuce.” For whatever crimes Wikileaks may be committing Octopuse is compleetly indemnified against.

    What is wrong about that is you will not find such indemnification in any other industry either by law or by self-governance. The minute you make the web host company liable for actions by the websites then you will not have such reckless disregard for actions such as this or music piracy or broadcasting on the Internet of an unaurhorized video of a young gay college kid having a gay affair.

  • jdona

    I’m probably in the minority here, but those documents were the property of the US government, and this man has no right to them.  No one man should have this much power to decide the fate of our country or other countries and our intelligence gathering.  He has no moral superiority, moral authority or any other authority to do what he is doing.  He is targeting our country for some reason known only to him, and he has appointed himself judge, jury and excutioner.  The rest of you may not be worried or scared, but I sure am.  

  • donjo

    The US government is US and we have a right to know what’s going on in our behalf.  If you would bother to read them, you would find that most of the documents classified “secret” are along the lines of pizza orders. For a really thorough look at all this b.s. check this out:

    ttp://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/11/30/wikileaks/index.html

  • donjo

    The US government is US and we have a right to know what’s going on in our behalf.  If one would bother to read them, you would find that most of the documents classified “secret” are along the lines of pizza orders. For a really thorough look at all this b.s. check this out:  

     
    http://tinyurl.com/2c2dd27