Political Meltdown

Have you been watching the news develop on this WikiLeaks bungle? In short, some private in the military (who is now in custody) downloaded a TON of classified documents that detail behind the scenes conversations between the U.S. government and a multitude of other governments around the world. These documents are now being released by some dude who has a website called WikiLeaks.

This is not just a tiny deal. This is a major deal because it reveals some top secret info that could push some governments to the brink when it is revealed (for instance) that Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been encouraging the U.S. government to use it's military to attack Iran.

The disclosures in the Times and four other major world news organizations could fuel a worldwide diplomacy crisis with the United States at its center. "It is nothing short of a political meltdown for U.S. foreign policy," said Der Spiegel, the German publication that, like The Times, obtained the secret cables.

The White House condemned the disclosure of classified documents and released a statement Sunday saying, in part: "We anticipate release of what are claimed to be several hundred thousand classified State Department cables on Sunday night that detail diplomatic discussions with foreign governments. By its very nature, field reporting to Washington is candid and often incomplete information. It is not an expression of policy, nor does it shape final policy decisions." The statement acknowledged that the cables could "compromise private discussions with foreign governments and opposition leaders,'' and warned that the disclosures put diplomats and intelligence and other officials at risk.

Now check this out;

In a critical article Sunday, Der Spiegel concluded: "Never before in history has a superpower lost control of such vast amounts of such sensitive information -- data that can help paint a picture of the foundation upon which U.S. foreign policy is built. Never before has the trust America's partners have in the country been as badly shaken. Now, their own personal views and policy recommendations have been made public -- as have America's true view of them."

See it here; http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/11/28/leaking-of-secret-u-s-cables-sparks-diplomacy-crisis/?icid=maingmain52link228328

Ouch!! This could damage the U.S. reputation in ways we will spend months figuring out. Also it will no doubt be used as fuel for Islamic extremists who believe the USA works around the clock (as the Great Satan) to alter and control other countries.

I wonder why the CIA didn't simply dispatch someone to take this website and it's founder down? Who knows how many lives will now be at risk around the world because of this info getting out?

Finally, could this be another trigger point the further puts the world into distress? How much distress can we all handle before anarchy and unrest start breaking out on a global basis?