To make an enemy of every Western government--the caprice of vanity?

[jpgray]

What are the denunciations of Assange and Manning as feckless and venal dilettantes, if not bizarre? Surely there are easier ways to stroke oneself than to get between a powerful state and its secrets? There must have been more pleasant avenues of self-absorption for Manning than to risk being ground to bits in Leavenworth as a known traitor. There are surely safer roles for preening, cowardly hackers than that of a state secrets broker on the run. But they did all this lightly--out of some naive anarchal bemusement?

[JDPriestly]

1. How can Assange be a traitor of the US if he is not a citizen of the US?

He is not subject to our Constitution or our laws.

[TorchTheWitch]

2. The OP didn't call Assange a traitor

They called Manning a traitor.

[JDPriestly]

5. But we don't know that this information came from Manning.

It's quite possible but not certain.

You know, during WWII, the allies turned agents. Let's say that the Germans airlifted some guy who had escaped from a British prison to the European continent into the UK, gave him a new identity and paid him to obtain secret information from the British. The British would catch the guy and give him information to send to the Germans. Of course, some of the information was true (but usually not all that important) and then, mixed in, was false information intended to mislead the Germans or throw them off the track. Obviously, I am oversimplifying the story, but this kind of thing worked very well.

Wikileaks have what purport to be US diplomatic documents. They contain a lot of information. Clearly a lot of it, maybe all of it is true. But, is it all true? We really don't know that either. And because we don't know and because others who might be interested in this information also don't know, this stuff is really pretty useless to our enemies. It's really only useful to us. And of course we don't know what is true and what is just opinion and what is simply false. Usually reporters have to get two sources before they print a news item. There is a good reason for that.

We shall see whether Manning is every really tried or convicted or serves a sentence. We may never know.

[mikehiggins]

3. Great way to start the morning

a sensible criticism of a totally ridiculous meme

is there any reason to suspect that personal attacks on these guys serve anyone's interests other than the people whose ox is being gored by having their dirty laundry hung out for all to see?

the guys are not the issue; the content of the memos is

btw, as I understand the post the OP is decrying the ad hominem attacks on Assange/Manning

[TexasObserver]

4. "the OP is decrying the ad hominem attacks on Assange/Manning"

Yes, it is.

And accurately, too.

The goose stepping to the beat of those whose ox is being gored is perplexing. I understand it among the typical Rush Limbaugh listeners, but here?! Makes no sense at all.