Calling leaks 'damaging,' Bush says WikiLeaks will hurt U.S. relations

CNN ^ | 11/29/2010 | CNN Wire Staff

[Wolfstar]

(CNN) -- Former President George W. Bush joined a chorus of U.S. officials calling leaks of sensitive government information "very damaging," telling a forum at Facebook headquarters that WikiLeaks' recent release of 250,000 documents may significantly hurt Washington's image abroad.

"It's going to be very hard to keep the trust of foreign leaders," the nation's 43rd president said of the documents on issues ranging from Iran to Honduras to Turkey. "If you have a conversation with a foreign leader and it ends up in a newspaper, you don't like it. I didn't like it."

[Wolfstar]

To my knowledge, this is the first time former President George W. Bush has commented publicly on current news since leaving office, which clearly underscores how damaging these leaks are to national security.

On the Hugh Hewitt show tonight, Hugh had a guest who said the Bush administration created a cyber attacks office (don't know the official name). The guest said the Obama administration is not using it.

The guest referred to the Holder Justice Department's ability to shut down 85 websites purportedly selling fake goods, and said if Justice can do that, they can certainly shut down WikiLeaks. The guest further said the cyber attacks office has the ability to do a cyber attack on WikiLeaks which would prevent that website from operating, even if the government didn't shut it down entirely. Yet the Obama administration has not taken any such actions available to it.

I'll be looking for the transcript of tonight's Hugh Hewitt show in order to get and post verbatim what his guest had to say on this matter.

[Wolfstar]

Hi, just calling your attention to the fact that GWB chose to comment on the WikiLeaks matter during his Facebook Q&A today. It underscores just how serious he thinks this matter is. Thought you might want to spread the word.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Internet to be shut down due to “national security concerns” by end of year.

[doc1019]

No doubt in my mind.

[rbg81]

Who is gonna say anything sensitive to our diplomats anymore if they think it will be leaked? IMO, this is the most damaging aspect of this incident.

[biggredd1]

ulsterman report..
http://newsflavor.com/opinions/white-house-insider-the-media-elected-obama-not-the-american-people/

[Eric Blair 2084]

W may not be a Reagan movement conservative but he is classy.

He loves his country and respects the process of orderly exchange of power by the people.

[PaleoBob]

Did he manage to somehow wedge a cheap shot of Palin into his comments?

[swatbuznik]

I’m sorry, guys, but I just can’t help but feeling like we’re getting a rope-a-dope. Let’s say Wiki-leaks (which is obviously a liberal creation) does rile enough people, and certainly riles me up, too, but is there something more insidious at work here. Let’s say we’re riled up enough to demand that Wiki-leaks is clamped down or shut down, and this begins a trend to shut down all info, even incriminating info on the likes of Obama and his ilk? Information that we desperately need to shut him and his cohorts down? A new means of censorship and the state shutting us up? Could you see them going after bloggers in the interest of “state secrets?”

Anyone else see it this way?

[citizencon]

If the Obama administration couldn’t contain WikiLeaks, how the heck could they contain Al Qaeda?

[Jo Nuvark]

Why do I feel this is a coordinated effort
between the Whitehouse and Assange to take
the internet in the name of national security?

[MrEdd]

Well the leaks have certainly "Damaged" anything that was left of GW's Reputation, and opened his remaining defenders up to well deserved ridicule.

Tell us, while you are up ther GW about why you didn't make the extent of Iraq's WMB arsenal clear to the American people? Was that not something that mattered more than diplomatic games of footsie?

If you are going to stand in the limelight, answer that, and a lot of other germain questions that have come to prominence.

Or slink off.

[FlyingEagle]

Barry, what do you think? Barry? Hello? Barry? Are you there?

[WestCoastGal]

All of this is very dangerous and disturbing.

I just love the picture CNN decided to post of President Bush - they found the worst one they could, it seems.

[I see my hands]

FUBO and FUJA, of course.

But to heck with what the rest of the world thinks too. We should set off a few above ground H-Bombs and tell the rest of the world to shut up.. We should also claim space and all objects and energy in it to be our own.

[Lazlo in PA]

Great George. We all agree. This is a bad thing. The question still is on the table of what are we going to do about it. Why are we not getting that Wikileaks guy for crimes against the state. He will have to pop his head up sometimes where there is extradition.

The most damaging part of this whole mess is the lack of real concern by Obummer and Holder. We look weak and feckless.

[Venturer]

Place the guy in Charge of securing Obama’s Birth Certificate and college records in charge of security, he has a proven track record.

[potlatch]

[Gene Eric]

And the Left proud as ever...

[Ramius]

I don’t care whether Wikileaks is shut down. I just think the creator, Mr. Assange, must be killed, and soon. Hopefully somebody will take care of that before he starts a war that doesn’t otherwise need to happen.