Obama should resign if approved UN spying: WikiLeaks founder

[Beacool]

MADRID — President Barack Obama should resign if it can be shown that he approved spying by US diplomatic figures on UN officials, the founder of WikiLeaks said in an interview published Sunday.

"The whole chain of command who was aware of this order, and approved it, must resign if the US is to be seen to be a credible nation that obeys the rule of law. The order is so serious it may well have been put to the president for approval," Julian Assange told Spanish daily El Pais.

"Obama must answer what he knew about this illegal order and when. If he refuses to answer or there is evidence he approved of these actions, he must resign," he added during an Internet chat interview published online.

WikiLeaks threw US diplomacy into chaos when it started releasing more than 250,000 classified State Department cables on November 28, creating an international firestorm as American diplomats' private assessments of foreign leaders and politics have been publicly aired.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5igLhpFXyv-VRG5thAgiJk0OORBNw?docId=CNG.7936abe2aac85ef50ca11a2d6b6c031b.dc1

Assange must be loving his 15 minutes of fame. Now he wants Obama to resign.

First of all, this guy has no concept of how US diplomacy works. Cables always have the name and title of the Secretary when he/she is in DC, it's a form of letterhead. It doesn't mean that the SOS even saw these cables. The SOS sees only a small amount of the cables that are sent out. These requests for diplomats to spy are routine wish lists from intelligence agencies (the UN spy wish list I think was reported to have come from the CIA). Most diplomats disregard these requests.

Assange is an agitator and he obviously is enjoying the chaos that he has caused.

:eyes:

[jefferson_dem]

1. Pfft...

If Assange wants to be taken seriously, he should stick to document dumping and avoid making political demands.

[pnwmom]

8. Too late. He's already exposed himself for what he is. n/t

[geckosfeet]

2. If nothing else he is certainly a drama queen.

Diplomatic spying is a way of life - probably more the rule than not.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. He doesn't mention bush's spying

[Exilednight]

3. He has a point. No mid-level ..........

subordinate at the State Department tells the CIA or State Department diplomats to collect the types of information they were told to collect. This came down the chain of command, and I guarantee Hillary and the President knew about it.

[Beacool]

4. That's the point, probably no one told diplomats to spy.

These cables are taken out of context. Our intelligence agencies routinely communicate what they need and diplomats just as routinely ignore them. Let's say a US diplomat has lunch with a diplomat from another nation and he happens to see the credit card number of the other diplomat when they settle the bill. In all likelihood, our diplomat would not take the number down and pass it along to whichever agency requested it.

[karynnj]

42. Out of context?

I think that it is clear that the US did exactly what Hillary signed. I also doubt Obama did not know. I think the solution is that we need legislation saying that this is wrong and shouldn't happen - if that is international law and what the country believes.

[grumgrum]

9. Agreed -- I think people on DU forget Assange is the Good guy here

Transparency is important people! Julian Assange is a hero not a villain

[pnwmom]

11. No, he's not a hero. Anyone with 2 ounces of common sense

understands that diplomats and CIA agents cannot effectively work in complete transparency. The idea would be laughable, except so many people here appear to believe it.

[grumgrum]

12. A republican cheer for you...

[Beacool]

17. Yeah, let's be completely transparent and let our enemies know all our secrets.

That will bode very well for our safety. No nation can be completely transparent, it is naive to think otherwise.

[Fruittree]

35. So - criticism of Obama is good but

any criticism of Assange makes a person a Republican?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

46. No, he's not.

Complete transparency is not only unimportant, but rather quite damaging. It does not allow leaders to act in the best interests of the nation, but instead, encourages total campaign mode all the time, in all facets of decision-making. It is the pinnacle of intellectual laziness to suggest that total transparency is a good thing.

[bluedigger]

5. Wasn't he after Hillary a few days ago?

The guy's desperate and flailing around. Might As well call for the entire US Gov't to resign. Hell, all gov'ts.:eyes:

[Beacool]

6. Yep, he wanted her to resign.

Now he wants Obama to resign. Who the hell does he think he is?

:crazy:

[vaberella]

22. A hero for many DUers....Some of which want him to run for President of the US. n/t

[Life Long Dem]

20. Maybe we all should be going after this Ausi.

:patriot:

[pnwmom]

7. This guy's on a power trip. First he's after Hillary, now Obama.

Sorry, Assange, no one elected you king of the world.

[grumgrum]

10. It just proves whoever is in power corruption is still rampant.

Keeping things transparent will hopefully keep them honest.

[pnwmom]

19. Keeping things completely transparent is a pipedream

that anarchists are trying to sell to the rest of us. Use your reasoning skills -- "transparency" is turning into a gimmick.

[sudopod]

21. OH NOES, TEH ANARCHISTS!

I they're right there between the terrists and commies on the danger meter.

[pnwmom]

26. The anarchist goal held by Assange and his ilk is to end government.

Anyone who believes in democracy should oppose that goal.

[sudopod]

27. Do you have a reliable source for that

or are we into the "making lots of shit up" and "scaring people into doing what I think is best or America" phase of things? Because I don't see how a guy with a website is going to overthrow the United States of Fucking America. What's next? Does he have a plan to team up with Cobra Commander, Osama Bin Laden and Zombie Hitler?

His "anarchist goal." god damn.

(BTW, you'd think that the word filter wouldn't get caught on Osama by now.)

[vaberella]

23. Some on DU don't see we want to look after our self-interest. n/t

[sudopod]

28. The problem with the world is that no one seems to be able to look

BEYOND their self-interest. Apparently worrying about things like the rule of law, treaty obligations, or mass murder makes you an untrustworthy hippie anarchist. Who should be poised to death by Jack Bauer. For freedom. Or something.

[Forkboy]

32. Your reaction is among my favorite of all.

[Kaleva]

13. I doubt this idea would get much serious support even here at DU.

[vaberella]

24. Don't bet on it. I got into a discussion with a DUer who wants him to run for President.

Because it's better to take the unknown than the known.

[MiniMe]

14. So he wants Obama and his cabinet to resign

At least Obama and Hillary. While I don't agree with some of what has come out, why isn't he calling for charges against W and Cheney? I'm beginning to wonder if he has an agenda

[Beacool]

16. I don't know.

Maybe because they are already out of office? I find his views simplistic. It's a dangerous world and getting worse by the day. Although I don't agree with plenty of things the government has done, but I think that Assange definitely has an agenda.

;(

[jeanpalmer]

30. What would that agenda be

to expose dishonesty and corruption? How can that be "simplistic?" The cables show our government is supporting a hopelessly corrupt puppet government in Afghhanistan, and that the Obama administration is not leveling with American people about that. What's dangerous is we're being misled. Don't you want to know the truth?

[pnwmom]

18. Excellent question!!! n/t

[vaberella]

25. Dunno...he could very well have one.

The Repubs are loving him.

[sudopod]

29. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, are you even paying a little attention?

Did history start yesterday for everyone in this country?

There are a dozen places on the front page that point out that both of those statements were made in reply to direct pointed question by a reporter. He said yes, but that it probably wouldn't matter anyway. Clearly the response of a freedom-hating anarchist who wants to destroy America.

As far as Bush or Cheney, they've been at this for four years, and though they were only able to get small things before Manning, they rode them too, but don't let me stand between here and the conclusions you've been led to leap to.

[MiniMe]

31. There are only 2 people that he has called on to resign

I think he would have been better off not commenting like he has. Sorry, I believe that some things are better kept private, at least for a period of time. And now Assange is threatening to release cables with names attached. I didn't agree with the release of Valerie Plame's name, and I don't agree with what he is threatening to do.

[sudopod]

36. No, he called on everyone responsible who signed off on breaking the law

in the chain of command to resign...but then you'd know that if you'd read the articles.

[jeanpalmer]

33. That's typically the way it works

when something seriously goes wrong in an organization. Heads roll, people at the top resign. Claims of ignorance don't fly. In this case, apparently laws were broken. The head guy has to take responsibility. Have we seen anything like that yet? When's it going to happen?

It wouldn't bother me if he resigned. It would clear the deck for a real Democrat. I'd rather he do it for his real transgressions, like waging aggressive war against Afghanistan and wasting obscene amounts of money and lives. Or if he caves on tax cuts for the rich, that would also be an opportunity for resignation. But if he were to choose to step down for gathering information on frequent flyer miles, that also would be ok.

[Forkboy]

34. I wish I could feel that your interest in this issue extended beyond "Make Obama look bad."

[AtomicKitten]

47. +1

:hi:

[rasputin1952]

37. Everybody in the UN is a spy of one sort or another...

the entire basis of posting people to NYC at the UN is to spy on others and report back to home countries...always has been and will be for the foreseeable future.

We do it and every other nation does it as well, friend or foe, it makes no difference, the object is to fins out what others know and how they will use what they know. 99.5% of all of the "intel" is crap, we're not talking nuclear secrets, we're talking about psychological profiles, how diplomats act and how they are viewed in various situations. It's really not that big of a deal.

Now when we are talking about state secrets, it's different, but i have no problem at all finding out what others are capable of...that's one way we can defend against threats.

[JTFrog]

38. FFS. Yes, Clinton is a fucking angel who never saw any of these cables.

:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:

Should have just posted the article. The rest was not subtle in the least. :eyes:

[Beacool]

39. The rest comes from having had a father who was a diplomat with decades of experience.

The fact that a cable has the name of the SOS at the top doesn't necessarily mean that the Secretary saw the cable. The traditional sign off line on thousands of daily cables from State Department headquarters is always the Secretary of State (when he/she is in DC) and the Ambassador for cables from overseas. It is the equivalent of a letterhead. The Secretary only sees a tiny fraction of cables that go out over his/her signature and personally signs off on even fewer.

Regardless, the ones that I've read are standard and not very shocking at all. Much ado has been made of their content. All diplomats gather information and all intelligence agencies are always pushing for them to fulfill their "wish list".

:shrug:

[JTFrog]

49. Of course.

:eyes:

[Imajika]

40. I'd be disappointed in Obama if he hadn't approved spying on the US

All countries spy and gather intelligence - on friends and foes alike.

[karynnj]

41. Uhm, weren't you one of the strongest people against a similar comment re the SoS?

Bush was PROVEN to have spied on the UN in late 2002 - it was known even before he attacked Iraq, no one called for him to resign.

[Beacool]

44. Where do you get that I'm agreeing with Assange.

I think that the guy has a lot of nerve asking for Obama's resignation. Ditto for Hillary's. Who does this guy think he is? Let's see how it goes for him if he has the temerity of pulling this stunt with Russia and China.

;-)

[ampad]

43. What a class act

His "insurance" consist of the names and addresses of spies, soldiers and others. He is willing to risk the lives of these people in order to keep himself safe. I was not happy about Valerie Plame and I am not happy about this. IMO, he is far worse than an agitator.

[allmylove]

45. First Hillary now Obama? F*&% that!

[thelordofhell]

48. Somewhere, Darryl Issa is preparing the subpeonas

Are you still cheering?

[jenmito]

50. Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, says Hillary Clinton "should resign."

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7493805-wikileaks-founder-says-hillary-clinton-should-resign-time

Assange is an agitator and he obviously is enjoying the chaos he has caused.

:eyes: