New York Times - A Note to Readers: The Decision to Publish Diplomatic Documents

NYTimes ^ | 11/28/2010

[markomalley]

The articles published today and in coming days are based on thousands of United States embassy cables, the daily reports from the field intended for the eyes of senior policy makers in Washington. The New York Times and a number of publications in Europe were given access to the material several weeks ago and agreed to begin publication of articles based on the cables Sunday online. The Times believes that the documents serve an important public interest, illuminating the goals, successes, compromises and frustrations of American diplomacy in a way that other accounts cannot match.

[americanbychoice3]

Had these been Russian Dossiers, Assange would already have been infected with a mysterious virus and he would be comatose by now.
They only choose the US, because of our freedom of speech and our tolerance. Of course everyone knows that Obummer is weak and won’t retaliate at all.
Sad

[American Dream 246]

Oh..an they can close any websites they want and NOT this wikileaks website? How weird is that? Ok...someone tells me what obama gets from that. Because I certainly don’t buy AT ALL that they cannot stop it. Not one second do I buy this one. So what’s the gain for obama?

[Doctor 2Brains]

for later

[theDentist]

They will get more American soldiers killed. And they don’t care/never have.

[onona]

Yup

[ShandaLear]

It’s absurd. The whole thing could potentially cripple the Obama administration. I just don’t understand it.

[caww]

I’ve been reading comments from European nations....these leaks are really insiting allot more hatred for Americans than was there in the first place. Further all are oppossing Obama....which of course I won’t argue on that note.

[the invisib1e hand]

any questions about the existence of a fifth column?

[caww]

Not from me, though some do go off into left field to the extreme...as with all behind the scene scenario's. The truth moves between the two ends and flexuates like a flexed muscle.

[NonValueAdded]

wars have started over less. It will be instructive, though, to see who the NYT protects and who they trash with their selective release of information.

[advance_copy]

The “leaker” for the Mil docs was supposed to be some fruitcake DADT Army dude, just how would one guy get all the access? next to impossible on his own.

No, it would have been easy for him to do it by himself as an Army Intel Analyst with access to the right network. It was him.

[wolf78]

Isn’t it rather hypocritical to lambast the Times for publishing this material when we’re all reading it here on Free Republic as well?

To be fair: Most of it is common knowledge anyway.
"Berlusconi feckless, vain, and ineffective as a modern European leader" - who would've guessed (except... like... everyone)?

"Sarkozy thin-skinned and authoritarian"? That's what LeMonde says every day.

"Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan governs with a cabal of incompetent advisors".. you don't say.

That's just the kind of gossip you get from listening to disgruntled assistants. The only juicy parts are the spying on the UN and the coalition of Arab nations against Iran. Not because it's unthinkable - such has long been suspected, but because now it's confirmed.

[NonValueAdded]

"[Hillary's] request could break international law and threatens to derail any trust between the US and other powerful nations."

Well, that's it then ... the US cannot be trusted and the UN must move out of NY as soon as possible.

[sten]

Bring them all up on charges of treason

If not now... then in 2012

[Tzimisce]

Our explanation: we’re aging, withering paleo-60’s radicals with a hard left agenda.

Notice we didn’t say much about Climategate?

Notice that we don’t really care about Obama’s Czars?

That’s because those things are our guys. :)

Now you peasants pay your taxes and f**k off. :)

-your friends at the Slimes

[txhurl]

So what is a ‘cable’ these days? Like an e-mail or tweet with no diplomtic pouch to secure it?

[snippy_about_it]

Agreed. I’ve been reading the UK papers. If obama really intended for all other countries to hate us, this will do the job. It is not that what our government did was wrong but it is information that should have been kept classified. This information does not bode well for us or our ‘allies’.

The entire administration should step down to save the US from this debacle. It’s the only way we can save face. I don’t know what the other countries can do with the information being released that put them in danger.

The Saudi’s wanting the US to strike Iran, apparantly some damaging comments on how Britian handled their operations in Afghanistan, a Chinese spy admitting Beijing hacked US websites, too much information that shouldn’t have gotten out.

Some of this we possibly already knew or suspected but the fact that we cannot keep our cables with other countries and our own embassies secret is pretty damaging to a lot of people and to our country especially.

[Moose4]

Which is exactly what Wikileaks did with the “Collateral Murder” videotape from an Apache gunship. When DOD released the entire tape, it became clear that the charges—that the Apache crew deliberately targeted journalists—were bullcrap.

}:-)4

[caww]

Some of this we possibly already knew or suspected but the fact that we cannot keep our cables with other countries and our own embassies secret is pretty damaging to a lot of people and to our country especially.

I am not convinced this wasn't purposeful, though we knew most of it anyway. The fact the media is having a field day with it all, and putting this information into the hands of those otherwise derranged and unstable countries is concerning. As stated...the Us now cannot be trusted...and that definately goes against any power we have left....which anymore just keeps getting pushed under by Bo and his thugs. This administration is doing a "dance" now on the International stage....the question is to whose tune?

[benjibrowder]

Probably not as there’s Supreme Court precedence for allowing the publishing of said materials. However, whereas Freedom of the Press allows for its publishing, it does not protect the leaker.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times_Co._v._United_States