WikiLeak's Damage

WikiLeak’s Damage

WikiLeak’s has really put Washington in a spin since releasing thousands of classified State Department cables Sunday. Among the disclosures are that U.S. and South Korean officials have made game plans to deal with a possible collapse of the North Korean government; U.S. officials have candidly shared suspicions of Afghan government corruption; and China has conducted computer hacking attacks against the west.

Some of the most gripping disclosures involve Iran. When Ahmadinejad was elected president of Iran in 2005, the then commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Gen. John Abizaid, met with Arab military leaders and according to one of the newly released diplomatic cables, "All agreed with Abizaid that Iran's new president … seemed unbalanced, crazy even."

That cable - one of a quarter million obtained and released by WikiLeaks, details a meeting in the United Arab Emirates - the beginning of a litany of demands from Arab countries just across the Persian Gulf from Iran for the U.S. to do whatever it takes to stop Ahmadinejad from building a nuclear weapon.

Iran's nuclear program "must be stopped," the king of Bahrain is quoted as saying. The king of Saudi Arabia repeatedly called on the U.S. to "cut off the head of the snake." None of those leaders, however, would say the same in public since it would put them on the side of Israel.

"The fact that these governments are exhorting and pushing the U.S. government to be more aggressive, to take military action - those revelations will not be popular in the streets of those countries in the Arab world," according to CBS News national security consultant Juan Zarate.

The damage already done by WikiLeak’s will likely continue to surface for years. American diplomats working to find a solution to the problems in the Middle East are going to find trust and cooperation an increasingly rare commodity. Julian Assange will be responsible for extending those troubles for years ---and how many people will die as a result? Thousands. It is way past time to put a stop to this guy and set an example the will prevent the next geek who wants a minute of fame from trying this again.

Live Long and Prosper...