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WikiLeaks, Under Attack, Gets the Taiwanese Treatment
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 30, 2010
Modified Nov 30, 2010
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 30, 2010
Modified Nov 30, 2010
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Unsurprisingly, the fallout from the latest WikiLeaks continues. U.S. officials are working damage control here and abroad, from Rep. Peter King pushing for the website to be declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization to Attorney General Eric Holder investigating the matter promising "to the extent that we can find anybody who was involved in the breaking of American law and who has put at risk the assets and the people I have described, they will be held responsible," and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasting, "This disclosure is not just an attack on America — it's an attack on the international community... There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people, and there is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations between nations." And then there's Sarah Palin, saying that she wouldn't have let the leaks happen since her book was leaked and everything.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange isn't sitting pretty either. He's off defending his site's actions in the media, dealing with his own legal problems, pimping the next leak he's got up his sleeve (banking scandal!) and apparently defending his site from a massive attack.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world and the media is looking on and reading through the quarter-million documents for juicy gossip. Ecuador, for instance, worried by the 1,600 cables sent from the U.S. Embassy in Quito found in the latest dump, has offered Assange residency "without any problem and without any conditions." And then there is the case of the ever-present Taiwanese animators, who of course have turned the whole thing into an entertaining CGI short.
The upside to the whole mess? The Times makes an argument for the leaks in an editorial pointing out that they not only "illuminate American policy in a way that Americans and others deserve to see," but will also most likely not threaten national security and, in fact, paint the Obama administration in a generally flattering light in comparison to its predecessor.
Tagged
eric holder
hillary clinton
julian assange
peter king
sarah palin
taiwanese animation
wikileaks
Garth Johnston
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