The Obama administration says it’s going to take “aggressive steps against those who stole” more than 250,000 classified State Department cables and gave them to the nihilists at WikiLeaks, which then dumped them onto the Internet.
“This is not saber-rattling,” said Attorney General Eric Holder, who vowed to hold “responsible [and] accountable” those who “[break] American law.”
This is the same Eric Holder who has failed in two years to convene a promised trial for Khalid Sheik Mohammed, so too much probably shouldn’t be expected here.
But the sentiment is sound: How in the world can a great nation conduct a foreign policy when its most sensitive internal documents end up all over the Internet?
It can’t — but acquiescing in such anarchy is equally unacceptable. Wherever possible, the full weight of the law must be brought to bear on the leakers — and the young soldier who started the ball rolling needs to be a very old man when he next breathes free air.
Whether WikiLeaks founder Julien Assange — now sought by Sweden for sex crimes — can be prosecuted remains to be seen. But this isn’t the first time he has used the Web to embarrass the United States.
Twice before, WikiLeaks has published classified military documents — despite warnings from Washington that doing so would cost lives.
For the most part, the latest documents don’t include real bombshells.
Yes, there are important disclosures: The Saudis continue to fund al Qaeda; Arab governments have been even more vehement than Israel in demanding a military attack on Iran’s nuclear capabilities; North Korea is secretly aiding Tehran’s nuclear program.
But what’s insidious is what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton termed WikiLeaks’ attack on “the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security.”
This threatens America’s ability to hold candid conversations with its allies and to receive forthright and confidential assessments from its diplomats.
Beyond prosecutions, these betrayals call for career-ending disciplinary measures against those — both civilians and members of the military — who failed to safeguard the material at hand.
First things first, though.
Rep. Pete King, incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has asked both Clinton and Holder to formally designate WikiLeaks as a terrorist organization.
That may sound radical, but in fact such a designation would prohibit US banks, and companies like PayPal, Visa and MasterCard, from processing payments to the group.
It would also make it a felony to provide WikiLeaks with “material support or resources” — subjecting anyone who does so to potential federal prosecution.
Team Obama says it will do everything it can to hold those responsible for this outrage accountable.
Now’s the time to prove it.