TDPS: Wikileaks cable dump a GOOD THING, REGARDLESS of Julian Assange's personal life

[celtics23]

Run time: 08:11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfF-XNr5QVE   Posted on YouTube: December 03, 2010 By YouTube Member: MidweekPolitics Views on YouTube: 734   Posted on DU: December 06, 2010 By DU Member: celtics23 Views on DU: 349

 
From: www.davidpakman.com | Subscription: www.davidpakman.com/membership | YouTube: www.youtube.com/midweekpolitics

Let's talk about Wikileaks, though, because that is really an issue that is now just, it's every day on the news. On Monday I said I could see the pluses and minuses but I didn't know if this particular document release of about 250,000 documents was good or bad. I am now going to be... I'm not going to equivocate, Louis. Wikileaks is good. At least, the 250,000 documents that were released recently.

The damage as a result of the release of these documents has been overexaggerated. There is no evidence of actual people harmed from any Wikileaks leaks, and if conservatives hate it so much, there must be something to it, right? That, if anything, made me say, there's got to be something to these leaks that is worthwhile. If conservatives are getting this angry and saying that they are a terrorist organization, there must be some validity here. Is that a bad way to reason?

Louis: Well, obviously there's validity here. I mean, these are leaked cables.

David: But what I'm saying is for me, anytime Republicans and conservatives get up in arms, emailing me and commenting on Facebook and YouTube that the Wikileaks document leaks are bad, it actually makes me think that they must be good. I know, it sounds silly.

Louis: No, that's understandable.

David: Now, I want to make clear, I am not into everything needs to be done out in the open. I understand that the right to maintain privacy in everything from a local police investigation all the way up to diplomatic negotiations is valid. I'm not going to be caught saying that everything needs to be known about, there can be no secrets at all, that is not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that this particular release of documents is not doing the harm that many are saying it did. And you know what, it's actually showing that our politicians and diplomats, although they oftentimes in public appear completely unable to grasp the political reality of many situations, they actually do grasp it in private, and actually are much more realistic and proactive in their approach. If anything...

Louis: So this is kind of reassuring for you?

David: In a... I'm not saying now I love our politicians and our diplomats, but what I'm saying is it is at least confirmed that the nuanced, proactive, realistic discussions that are completely nonexistent in the media discourse actually are happening somewhere at least.

Louis: Right.

David: In a sense, it's reassuring. On the other hand, the fact that 250,000 documents that don't really say much being released is such a big deal suggests to me that we have a big problem in terms of the perceptions of what is going on behind closed doors by diplomats and politicans, and the reality of what we are being told. The fact that this is such a big deal is an indicator to me that we need more openness.

Louis: I agree, we definitely need more openness, but this is still a highly polarized issue. So...

David: Hey, it's polarized, and I know which side of the pole I'm on.

Louis: Right.

David: I mean, give me a break here, Louis. The other thing is, and I know I'm going to get emails from people saying this Assange guy is a rapist. And you know what, I don't particularly think that Julian Assange is a good guy. You know, he strikes me as very creepy. He has rape allegations against him. He certainly doesn't seem to be an advocate of, well, he certainly doesn't seem to be someone who treats women particularly well, from the evidence we have. Could be wrong, could be right. I don't care about Julian Assange. Julian Assange did not create the leak. We don't know who it is, there is an Army Private First Class who we believe...

Louis: Yeah. And as an individual, has nothing to do with this.

David: Well, he has something to do with it in the sense that he could... some could argue well, when someone comes with you, you turn them over to the authorities, you don't publish the documents. I'm not buying into that. And the thing that is concerning to me is now all of a sudden, he is on the, what is this called, the Interpol red list, and they're claiming he's on that wanted list not because of the Wikileaks thing, it's because of the rape allegations. Right.

Louis: Sure.

David: Because it's very common that rape taking place in, I think it was Sweden, makes you an Interpol...

Louis: Yeah, Interpol was looking for this guy because of that.

David: Right. That's just not believable at all. If what he did is criminal, it is criminal and that is that. If they catch him, can they ex... what's the word?

Louis: Execute?

David: Not execute, no, no, no. Can they deport him? Where would they deport him to? I don't know legally where that's going to go. But again, I believe that the damage has been exaggerated. I don't believe there is going to be... If anything, these leaks will result in an addition to the national, international discourse about what's going on behind closed doors rather than a subtraction.

Louis: Right. I mean, how is this going to harm foreign relations? I don't see it happening.

David: I know what the argument being made is, I just don't even care to go into it because I don't buy it. Amazon was hosting the Wikileaks site, they are no longer hosting it. And apparently, Joe Lieberman speaking to Amazon actually influenced that.

Vladimir Putin also fires back over the Wikileaks criticism on Larry King last night. Wouldn't you, if Wikileaks exposed your country's government as being embedded with that country's mafia? I certainly wouldn't be happy. I mean, it sounds like Cuba all over again, Louis. If I were Vladimir Putin, I would be upset. But again, is that damaging to the international political landscape to know that Russia is in bed with the mafia? No. Absolutely not.

Louis: I don't think so.

David: And...

Louis: I imagine most foreign leaders, even ones who had cables released that had something to do with them and their countries, would probably just look at the list, roll their eyes, and that would pretty much be the end of it.

David: I believe you're right. And the new poll on www.DavidPakman.com is is the latest Wikileaks... the latest release by Wikileaks good or bad overall, taking everything into consideration? Weigh in, www.DavidPakman.com. Let us know what you think.

[aliciaabs19]

1. Assange does strike me as a creep

but what he is doing is great