So this Wikileaks thing....

[Fresh Prince]

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org

big deal or no?

[Fresh Prince]

So far it reads like a post from somebody from the internet as in it's some fact, a lot psychoanalytical bullshit and gossip. I'm pretty sure I could be a diplomat

[Fresh Prince]

The Guardian's highlighted the good stuff: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/28/us-embassy-cable-leak-diplomacy-crisis

Berlusconi and Putin, the international playboys

The gist seems to be widespread corruption, money being paid with no tangible results etc. Pretty much like domestic politics.

[Reb]

Plus Iran has missiles that can reach west European countries...

[Fresh Prince]

Nah it seems to me that the stuff that's been leaked is being used to cause some discomfort but not really takedown the US. Some of the cables seem to have already been censored before they were leaked as well.

Saudi Arabia could be fucked though. Actually the Middle East could be fucked.

[Diunx]

Wait, don't these backroom deals have to happen in order to get shit done?

Not really.

[EmCeeGrammar]

I dunno, I kinda like the transparency. Everything I'm reading so far doesn't sound so far fetched anyway.

[TripleA]

Only America can fuck America.

[Fresh Prince]

I think if you follow foreign affairs it's not really surprising (except for the range of Iran's nukes) I guess it's just the personal ancedotes give it a little bit of 'oomph'. The serious stuff comes out later this week.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

GAF is shrieking and ejaculating over it.  So I'm tempted to say it will turn out to be forgotten after a couple of weeks.

[Bocsius]

what the crap is a wikileak

[Fresh Prince]

Today: "ratings" of foreign politicians
Tuesday: North/South Korea, Guantanamo
Wednesday: Pakistan, anti-piracy missions in Djibouti
Thursday: Relationship US-Canada
Friday: corruption in Afghanistan
Saturday: Yemen
Sunday: China

Tuesday and Sunday should be 'good'. It's probaby the countries that everybody cares about the most right now.

Nobody gives a shit about and Afghanistan is pretty much lost in most people's minds anyway.

[Himu]

So I guess we can say goodbye to the internet.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Nothing posted is really that shocking unless you are dumb or naive.

I would like to see Gaddafi's nurses though

[Mandark]

So far sounds like 90%+ of the info is going to be stuff that's already widely known (to people who follow this stuff closely), but that governments will never admit officially, which was pretty much the case with the big Iraq document dump.

The Arab states all asking us to bomb Iran is kind of news, though.

[Fresh Prince]

Part of me wishes that drew's conspiracy theory about a Chinese invasion gets confirmed though.

Somehow I imagine Putin and Berlusconi doing coke and hookers together.

[Himu]

The middle east shit is an eye opener for me, personally. I thought they detested America in public, but in private they really are on America's balls.

[pilonv1]

I dunno, I kinda like the transparency. Everything I'm reading so far doesn't sound so far fetched anyway.

Same here. It's better the public knows.

[pilonv1]

It's better they know that no matter who is in charge they're all as bad as each other.

[Fresh Prince]

It's better the public knows so they can freak out and/or decide that they are more qualified to make decisions.

Accountability.

I also this was the age of the death of the nation state 

[EmCeeGrammar]

I always get the feeling that most governments are ran by the same motivations that ran our very first governments- good old fashioned racism.   Gee, we're close allies with London?  The english talking white people? You don't say!

[Dickie Dee]

This was interesting, not sure why it was kept quiet:

Monday, 15 June 2009, 13:08
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000757
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN
EO 12958 DECL: 06/15/2019
TAGS IR, TX, PGOV, PREL, PHUM
SUBJECT: IRAN POST-ELECTION: [Source removed] CALLS

RESULTS A "COUP D'ETAT;" SAYS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD DEMAND A RECOUNT

ASHGABAT 00000757 001.2 OF 002

Classfied By: Charge Richard Miles, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

1. (C) In a conversation today with Iran Watcher, a [Source removed] in Ashgabat labeled the announcement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in Friday's presidential election a "coup d'etat," and called Iran's incumbent President "another Pinochet." [Name removed] said that based on calculations from Mousavi's campaign observers who were present at polling stations around the country and who witnessed the vote counts, Mousavi received approximately 26 million (or 61%) of the 42 million votes cast in Friday's election, followed by Mehdi Karroubi (10-12 million). According to his sources, Ahmadinejad received "a maximum of 4-5 million votes," with the remainder going to Mohsen Rezai. He said that more than anything else, the huge turnout of voters on Friday was a reflection of the Iranian electorate's overwhelming "anti-Ahmadinejad" sentiments.

PRECINCT RESULTS OBSCURED

2. (C) [Name removed] said that in a clear departure from established electoral rules and practice in Iran, including the procedures followed in the 2005 presidential election and last year's legislative elections, the authorities embargoed the results from individual precincts and announced instead that they must be conveyed directly to the central election authorities, who would announce the overall results after all the votes were counted. The Iranian authorities knew, he said, that attempts to falsify individual precinct counts could be countered by observers from the Mousavi and the other campaigns, so in order to engineer a "lopsided" Ahmadinejad victory, they had no choice but to conceal the precinct results. In his words, "People know who they voted for and the observers know who won in each precinct."

ARAB REACTION: A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT

3. (C) [Name removed] said that Iranians are puzzled by the muted reaction thus far of the U.S. and EU governments, as well as "very disappointed" by the number of Arab rulers who have sent messages to Ahmadinejad congratulating him on his "victory." He said that the international community should acknowledge the illegitimacy of the election and demand that the Iranian authorities release and account for the results from each precinct. He said the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) was behind the "coup." Even Supreme Leader Khamenei, he said, to whom the IRGC owes allegiance, is "not totally in control" of the IRGC. Citing the IRGC's warnings against a "velvet revolution" in the days leading up to the election, it would appear that the IRGC has taken on "a life of its own."

:irancry

[Dickie Dee]

Tuesday: North/South Korea

This was already previewed about how keep China from feeling threatened by an eventual reunion if/when NK collapses. Probably helpful rather than damaging.

[Fresh Prince]

I think Iran will come out with something hopefully it's not a missile strike.

[Boogie]

I am increasingly not a fan of wikileaks.

Initially, I thought it was going to be a genuinely positive outlet for "whistleblowing" on, y'know, actual corruption.

But the way it's playing out...

Secrecy and confidentiality have their place, even in a free and open democratic society, and the security of diplomatic communications is one such example.

[Bocsius]

Just read some of it.

Seems like some neoconservative hawkish character would "leak" this stuff to promote instability in the middle east. "Never fear, Captain America is here!"

[Boogie]

For example, from the Guardian article:

WikiLeaks says that, contrary to the state department's fears, it also initially intends to post only limited cable extracts, and to redact identities.

Okay, that's nice.  WL is acknowledging that sensitive information sometimes means that real lives are on the line, so they will "redact identities".

One question:  Who works for WL?  I mean, what's their experience, knowledge, and background? 

Because protecting identities isn't a matter of just blacking out names.  WL isn't the originator of the information they are releasing, so they have no idea what information might reveal the identities of certain individuals beyond their names.

So if WL simply blacks out the names of confidential informants and washes their hands saying "see?  we're sensitive and responsible, we redacted their identities" they could still get people killed because they don't know what the fuck they're doing.

[drew]

liveleak >

[Bocsius]

this is why we must reinstate operation blackbriar

[Joe Molotov]

Sybil Leek >

[drew]

sybian >

[Dickie Dee]

this is why we must reinstate operation blackbriar

FFFUUUU

I just watched most of Bourne Supremacy between the Colts/Chargers game (and all of the last half once the Chargers started running away with it) and was wracking my brain trying to remember what supceded Treadstone in Ultimatum - I couldn't wait to get to my computer and this thread was what I had left open.

Thank you Thank you Thank you

[Phoenix Dark]

http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2010/11/wikileaks-completes-obamas.html

[Fresh Prince]

Those comments are awesome. 'Act of War'

[Phoenix Dark]

Those comments are awesome. 'Act of War'

Don't worry, when we invade Australia to catch him I'll make sure you're treated fairly

[Fresh Prince]

He's either in Sweden raping women or the UK trying to avoid women.

Assange pretty much has a messiah complex. He's fucked.

[Phoenix Dark]

Very shocked he hasn't died of some accident by now.

[T-Short]

Assange seems to be a total douche. Wikileaks =/= Assange.

[T-Short]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20023941-38.html?tag=cnetRiver

Congressman wants WikiLeaks listed as terrorist group

The incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says WikiLeaks should be officially designated as a terrorist organization.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the panel's next head, asked the Obama administration today to "determine whether WikiLeaks could be designated a foreign terrorist organization," putting the group in the same company as Al Qaeda and Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese cult that released deadly sarin gas on the Tokyo subway.

"WikiLeaks appears to meet the legal criteria" of a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, King wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reviewed by CNET. He added: "WikiLeaks presents a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States."

[Brehvolution]

Those comments are awesome. 'Act of War'

"It's a crime that Obama isn't doing more to prevent the exposure of the shadiness of past republicans!"

[Himu]

Very shocked he hasn't died of some accident by now.

Not really, he is too well known now

That's not enough to scare Russia.

[Diunx]

lol, I hope some documents from the us embassy here leaks, I just know those old yanks are balls deep in young black females pussy in that mini fortress of their.

[ManaByte]

how could the us let this happen, I mean how did this shit get leaked?

Disgruntled intelligence analyst downloaded them. This release was apparently what was in that 1.6gig "Insurance" file on the site.

[Phoenix Dark]

so when do we get UFO or 911 stuff? Or a Putin sex tape

[Diunx]

A Putin sex tape would just make the rest of the male population of the planet look bad.

[Mupepe]

So Saturday and tomorrow is the good shit?  wake me up then.

[Dickie Dee]

how could the us let this happen, I mean how did this shit get leaked?

I pvt. in Iraq with access to the servers (there's tens of thousands of people that do - this isn't highest level security stuff) repeatedly went in with a CDRW filled with Lady Gaga songs and while pretending to humm and lip sync overwrote the cd with the files and took them out with him.

[Fresh Prince]

Assange seems to be a total douche. Wikileaks =/= Assange.

It's hard to seperate them.

China

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I'm probably most surprised that a foreign head of state making entreaties to the United States to bomb another country is simply classified "secret"

Top Secret is reserved for extra- and sub-terrestrial security threats
Above Top Secret is reserved for Dancing with the Stars finale results

[Brehvolution]

I'm probably most surprised that a foreign head of state making entreaties to the United States to bomb another country is simply classified "secret"

It's ok, the names are withheld to protect lives.

edit: Any docs on all the backdoor deals Obama had leading up to HCR? I'm curious if boner was lying or not.

[Fresh Prince]

I'd presume most of these guys are low level diplomats or known sabre rattlers in the diplomatic community.

[Tieno]

Wikileas is putting lives at risk! God bless you, you care more for human life than american diplomacy or military.

[Fresh Prince]

The point is that they're American lives

[Brehvolution]

Now i can't get McCain singing bo-bo-bo, bo-bo-iran out of my head.

[Phoenix Dark]

Sarah Palin on WikiLeaks. Compares Assange to editor of Al Qaeda newletter.

Serious Questions about the Obama Administration's Incompetence in the Wikileaks Fiasco
by Sarah Palin on Monday, November 29, 2010 at 12:17pm

We all applaud the successful thwarting of the Christmas-Tree Bomber and hope our government continues to do all it can to keep us safe. However, the latest round of publications of leaked classified U.S. documents through the shady organization called Wikileaks raises serious questions about the Obama administration’s incompetent handling of this whole fiasco.

First and foremost, what steps were taken to stop Wikileaks director Julian Assange from distributing this highly sensitive classified material especially after he had already published material not once but twice in the previous months? Assange is not a “journalist,” any more than the “editor” of al Qaeda’s new English-language magazine Inspire is a “journalist.” He is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands. His past posting of classified documents revealed the identity of more than 100 Afghan sources to the Taliban. Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?

What if any diplomatic pressure was brought to bear on NATO, EU, and other allies to disrupt Wikileaks’ technical infrastructure? Did we use all the cyber tools at our disposal to permanently dismantle Wikileaks? Were individuals working for Wikileaks on these document leaks investigated? Shouldn’t they at least have had their financial assets frozen just as we do to individuals who provide material support for terrorist organizations?

Most importantly, serious questions must also be asked of the U.S. intelligence system. How was it possible that a 22-year-old Private First Class could get unrestricted access to so much highly sensitive information? And how was it possible that he could copy and distribute these files without anyone noticing that security was compromised?

The White House has now issued orders to federal departments and agencies asking them to take immediate steps to ensure that no more leaks like this happen again. It’s of course important that we do all we can to prevent similar massive document leaks in the future. But why did the White House not publish these orders after the first leak back in July? What explains this strange lack of urgency on their part?

We are at war. American soldiers are in Afghanistan fighting to protect our freedoms. They are serious about keeping America safe. It would be great if they could count on their government being equally serious about that vital task.

derp derp derp

[T-Short]

[Phoenix Dark]

I like that she waited 24 hours after the leak - an eternity in the rapid response news cycle - and still came out with the dumbest response.

[Fresh Prince]

The cables include quotes from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia saying all kinds of things to US officials, including bombing Iran.

Most.

To my knowledge Assange has already given the leaks to the Guardian, NYT, Le Monde etc. So a bit late on that one Sarah....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-us-embassy-cables-live-updates

I hate the word Wiki. I know what it means. Wiki is a website where anybody can add to it, WikiLeaks, Wikipedia, Wiki, it does not sound like a manly word. Wiki. I think of candles. Wiki. Wiki. And then you look at this waif, Julian Assange, WikiLeaks, and it just all kinda goes together, just does.

10.44pm: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has a long interview with Forbes – and warns that the next target will be a major US bank. Here's Andy Greenberg of Forbes:

[Dickie Dee]

Early next year, Julian Assange says, a major American bank will suddenly find itself turned inside out. Tens of thousands of its internal documents will be exposed on Wikileaks.org with no polite requests for executives’ response or other forewarnings. The data dump will lay bare the finance firm’s secrets on the Web for every customer, every competitor, every regulator to examine and pass judgment on.

[...]

He compares what he is ready to unleash to the damning e-mails that poured out of the Enron trial: a comprehensive vivisection of corporate bad behavior. “You could call it the ecosystem of corruption,” he says, refusing to characterize the coming release in more detail. “But it’s also all the regular decision making that turns a blind eye to and supports unethical practices: the oversight that’s not done, the priorities of executives, how they think they’re fulfilling their own self-interest.”

[...]

Does Assange have unpublished, damaging documents on pharmaceutical companies? Yes, he says. Finance? Yes, many more than the single bank scandal we’ve been discussing. Energy? Plenty, on everything from BP to an Albanian oil firm that he says attempted to sabotage its competitors’ wells. Like informational IEDs, these damaging revelations can be detonated at will.

First time every using this,but...

[Fresh Prince]

Woah this may actually turn out well.