Having skimmed most of the recent WikiLeaks data dump, one thing is clear, the federal government needs a better method of controlling access to these sensitive documents. While there are many times to rake Foggy Bottom over the coals, this is not one of them; at least not yet.
Diplomacy is very serious business and while some of us would like to see a diplomatic corp with a little more political spine, much more in fact; the indiscriminate release of sensitive cables helps our enemies, embarrasses our friends, weakens security, and puts Americans who work in that business in danger.
More perplexing still is the media’s facilitation of the release of these documents. It shows little interest in advancing the cause of freedom. One wonders if World War II would have turned out the same way if the media at the time suffered from the state of emotional incontinence it seems to have today?
WikiLeaks, the media, and some others cling to emotion, rather than reason. They holler, the public has a right to know. Guess what, in the case of national security matters, there are many situations where it does not. In the age of electronic voyeurism it seems as there are no limits, not even when acts have the potential for getting people killed.
In the words of Toby Keith and Willie Nelson, ”Justice is the one thing you should always find. You got to saddle up your boys. You got to draw a hard line.” That may not be very diplomatic but the time for diplomacy with these WikiLeak folks has come and gone. They need rounding up and tried for something.
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