Obama calls WikiLeaks' "deplorable" - White House

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters

Dec 11 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama told Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Mexican President Felipe Calderon in phone calls on Saturday that WikiLeaks' actions were "deplorable" and the leaders agreed it would not hurt ties with Washington, the White House said.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1119044120101211

---

Well that should make the Republicans happy!

[villager]

1. good little defender of the status quo and ruling elites, that President

n/t

[saigon68]

96. A servant for the ruling elites

No spine--- oh well good luck raising money from me the next time around.

[ProudDad]

106. That's what they teach 'em at Harvard Law (n/t)

[Boudica the Lyoness]

2. His presidency is turning out to be deplorable

n/t

[krabigirl]

22. This.

[pezDispenser]

35. this

[Catherina]

40. + millions n/t

[t0dd]

70. +1

[shanti]

72. indeed

n/t

[nc4bo]

77. I'm inclined to agree. nt

[defendandprotect]

82. +1000% ...

[Smashcut]

90. +1

[emulatorloo]

3. What is he supposed to say? He's trying to smooth things over with Foreign Diplomats.

[EFerrari]

6. There was no need for him to name Wikileaks in any way.

There is an infinite number of ways to say "I'm sorry that you were upset" without doing that.

/grammar

[dave29]

7. we wouldn't want to hurt wikileaks feelings?

I'm confused

[EFerrari]

11. We wouldn't want to come off as enormous hypocrites

although, that may be a lost cause already.

[dave29]

20. It appears both Govt's agreed it's not a problem

and Obama was straight up with them (usually a trait to be admired), so apparently we don't look like hypocrites.

Wikileaks is going to keep doing it's thing, and I don't have a problem with that at all... this is an area where I don't necessarily agree with the President.

They seem to be equal opportunity leakers. Someday, another govt will be embarrassed by the same shit. Unfortunately, leaking a subset of the picture does not give the full picture, and while it may be illuminating to see the outlines, I take it all with a grain of salt.

[EFerrari]

24. Yes, it is hypocritical to condemn Wikileaks for the government's deplorable behavior.

But you're right. Wikileaks has exposed corruption in many countries in just four short years and there have been some really important reforms as a result.

[emulatorloo]

23. I don't get the "hypocrite" angle. Can you explain it to me?

seriously, I would appreciate it.

[EFerrari]

25. It's buck passing. If I behave badly towards you

criticizing the person that told you about it is buck passing.

[emulatorloo]

31. I don't bad behavior was the issue for Obama and Calderon. More that stuff that was supposed to be

confidential between Mexico and The US got leaked and put out in public,

I do understand the Buck Passing Hypocracy, and I have seen a lot of that from the commentators and manipulative politicians, And it is pretty disgusting. I appreciate you taking the time to write your reply.

[EFerrari]

36. I don't have a link to the cable/material at issue.

A reassurance that those cables would be more secure in the future would have been a good message, imo. That gesture would speak to an immediate concern Calderon may have about future communication and doesn't hand off responsibility.

[emulatorloo]

45. I think I have a link to the main one in question.

WikiLeaks: Mexico Asked U.S. to Counter Chavez
2009 Cable Reveals President Calderon Accused Venezuelan President of Financing His Opponent, Urged More Restraint of Chavez
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/03/world/main711...

[EFerrari]

47. Thanks! That cable is interesting when you consider

that Bush helped Calderon steal the election from Obredor and that the Mexican people were out on the streets protesting their stolen election for six whole months. Calderon sounds just like our wingnuts who accuse us of doing what they are doing or what they plan to do.

It's a commonplace just now in Latin America for the right wing to blame Chavez for the popularity of left wing candidates. The United States catapults that propaganda. It's meant to discredit the real rise of the left all over the region.

[emulatorloo]

52. Yes very interesting. (and there is going to be lots of interesting stuff coming)

It doesn't appear the US acted on his Chavez Fantasy though, at least I am not finding any follow-up cables with GOOGLE.

From what I seen there's others that questions whether Calderone knows what he is doing regarding the drug cartels and organized crime.

[EFerrari]

55. Well, I know that the State Department sends millions to Latin American right wing groups

to oppose Chavez, Morales, Correa, Lugo, Ortega and probably, Lula (+ his successor). And I know because I tracked it down that the Venezuela - Iran - Hamas idea comes from the American Heritage group. Rumsfeld at one point wanted to sell the idea that al Qaida was going to attack us from the area of the unaligned Andean countries. lol

Maybe what Calderon was really asking for was a more shiny thing to draw attention away from his more obvious problems.

[emulatorloo]

58. The Heritage Foundation? Well that figures, they are Masters of Disinformation

[EFerrari]

60. It's amazing. Whenever there is a particularly bizarre claim about Chavez

or any of the Latin American "Axis of Evil" as Evo humorously called them, I go to the Heritage Foundation website and search the meme. There and AEI. It's like tracking a vector.

[emulatorloo]

61. And there is always an "expert" from both places available to exude "gravitas" on the news shows

Ah don't get me started.

[EFerrari]

62. LOL

[struggle4progress]

42. Ah luvs ya dearly, E, but ya'd be a helluva lousy diplomat

[EFerrari]

44. I used to work at Small Claims here as a mediator.

I did okay.

[struggle4progress]

49. I have no difficulty believing that

[No Elephants]

114. I bet EFerrari would do a hell of a lot better than most of the junior high mean girls we apparently

pay to work for the U.S. Dept. of State.

[Hissyspit]

34. See posts #21 & 33. nt

[northernlights]

28. it kind of makes me think of a bullying boss that finally gets caught at something

bullyboss: "It was deplorable of them to publish pix of me with my pants down."

underling: "Don't worry. We don't think any less of you and it won't change our relationship at all."

(underling thought bubble: "I hated your guts before. I hate your guts now. Nothing's changed...except you're goin' down BWAH!HA!HA!HA!HA!")

[Kaleko]

4. Obama vowed to fight for transparency in government.

[emulatorloo]

9. I never heard him vowing to leak Mexico's confidential emails

I understand that what WIKILEAKS did may end up being very significant for historians and reporters and political activists

I also understand Obama is trying to smooth over ruffled feathers of diplomats who expected their confidential cables to be confidential. I don't get what DU wants from him on this.

[MH1]

30. Shhh! why bring rationality into the discussion?

no one wants to hear that sh*t.

[EFerrari]

39. How is blaming another party for your insecure communications rational?

[emulatorloo]

46. LOL I think that is the Sarah Palin position. Just for fun a story about it

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/11/29/sarah-palin-bla... /

Sarah Palin Blames WikiLeaks 'Fiasco' on Obama's 'Incompetence'

Once again, President Obama has fallen woefully short in Sarah Palin's eyes. On Facebook Monday, the former Alaskan governor, conservative wunderkind, reality TV star and self-described Mama Grizzly swatted Obama for being asleep at the wheel when WikiLeaks website released thousands of classified diplomatic cables and communiques.

The title of her post: "Serious Questions about the Obama Administration's Incompetence in the WikiLeaks Fiasco."

<MORE HILARITY AT LINK>

[EFerrari]

48. LOL! She also said that Julian Assange was unAmerican!

[emulatorloo]

50. She's a wacky one that's for sure. And a real nasty piece of work -

now her critics are "Weak, Limp and Impotent". That's not how fine christian ladies behave or talk back in my home town.

[EFerrari]

51. Yep. That naughty librarian thing barely covers the Big Nasty.

Agreed.

[Kaleko]

59. Applauding a strawman argument by calling it rational

doesn't make the deflection any more convincing.

[Kaleko]

37. What WikiLeaks is doing is creating a new, globally interconnected Fourth Estate

The implications of this mobilization of whistleblowers worldwide are enormous. Staggering, in fact.

Millions of people are trying to wrap their minds around what this new press platform that is not beholden to any government, Secret Service or corporation can accomplish in the coming years.

I wish Obama had acted much more intelligently in his reactions to this tipping point in human history. But he's proven himself to say one thing and then do the exact opposite. Thus the terrible disappointment with him all across his own base.

[StarsInHerHair]

89. no, it is the Fifth Estate-the Internet and Wikileaks

and it is exactly what Obama claimed he wanted when campaigning and, apparently, lying to us all.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[boppers]

83. "confidential emails"

Uhm, no emails are involved in the current leaks.

[EFerrari]

5. Criminal proceedings aimed at punishing a private person for communicating evidence

about human rights violations can never be justified -- Amnesty International

http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/24339/

[saigon68]

97. Little House servant Holder out to put that guy away

Holder is a real Judas Goat.., He would jump in a lake and fuck fish if told to do so by his MASTER

[Angry Dragon]

8. Dear Mr. President,

I, as the owner of this government, have the right to know what officials are doing in my name. If what you are doing is against the law or you are doing things that cast my government in a bad light then you should stop all activities at once.

The only things that I have seen in the leaked documents so far has not threatened the security of this nation. They, up to this point, have only shown how some in their execution of their duties have tried to circumvent the law and endangered the American people. If you are embarrassed by the leaks that show hypocrisy and lack of regard for laws, too bad. I have the right to know. It is not up to you to decide. You promised transparency, now let the system work.

King of Light

[movonne]

10. There is something about that statement that kind of puzzles me..WikiLeaks'

actions are deplorable...but we are still friends..why because they found out what we think...does that make WikiLeaks deplorable..

[EFerrari]

14. Shoot the messenger. n/t

[emulatorloo]

19. because WikiLeaks leaked Mexico's confidential cables

which they didn't expect to be leaked.

Say somebody steals your confidential love letters (LOL EMAILS) and posts them on the internet. Pretty sure your significant other would say that the person who did that was deplorable.

It is a horrible analogy I know, Maybe your tax returns or your bank account numbers or your hospital records would be better

(P.S,I don't mean to trivialize the positives that may come out of wikileaks)

But I don't get the concept that Obama should be celebrating wikileaks to people who had their stuff leaked. How is that going to make Mexico feel.

[Lefta Dissenter]

73. thank you

you've come up with better analogies than I have in my frustrating attempts.

Why Wikileaks is Bad for Progressive Foreign Policy

[EFerrari]

98. She starts off with a blatant lie that Wikileaks "dumped" anything

and it gets worse from there. Good grief.

Exposing war crimes is now "juicy"? That should insult the intelligence of anyone with enough brain cells to raise their head.

[Lefta Dissenter]

99. blatent lie?

it was a dump - with more "dumps" to come, apparently. There may have been a few names redacted, but many, MANY of the documents that were released served no purpose other than to embarrass US and foreign diplomats.

What effect do you think the leaks will have on diplomacy and foreign policy? Do you even care?

I know I'm virtually alone in my opinion here on DU, but I think the WikiLeaks approach to "opening up the government" is dangerous and self-serving. Ron Paul presented a false choice between the government's secrets that dragged us into an illegal war and WLeaks. I think the better approach is to re-work the classification system for documents, as well as to fix the breakdown of security that enabled people to disclose the documents in the first place.

Yes, I'm biased. My son is a Foreign Service Officer, and his first assignment is Saudi Arabia (one of his top three choices, by the way). I don't think WLeaks helps him in his job in public diplomacy. I think it places him and his fellow officers at greater risk. YOU go work in any one of those Middle East embassies, without being able to seek advice or consult confidentially with anyone in the State Department.

Also I have spent several years of my life battling our local governments over public records, including suing the Town Board to compel them to release documents that proved that the Board was breaking numerous laws. So I am no stranger to the system, or to the importance of public records. Throughout my work against (and subsequently, with) the Town Board, I have had access to numerous documents that would have proved personally embarrassing to Town Board members. However, I never would have considered publishing those in the local paper, unless that disclosure served a greater purpose.

As I said, I am biased. I am proud of my son, who has worked for years to be able to serve our country in the Middle East - serving in diplomacy and strengthening relationships, not by invading and killing. So I AM angry about what I see as a rash document disclosure that will create more stumbling blocks in his contributions to the world.

[EFerrari]

101. Yes, to call the editorial process a "dump" is not only a lie

but a stupid, transparent one, no matter who your son is. As Greenwald pointed out last week.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/...

[Pavulon]

108. No Its a business call. They are dumping them over time to get ad revenue

if it was over in a day the money would get fucked up.

[ProudDad]

107. "unless that disclosure served a greater purpose."

I can't think of a higher purpose than hastening the end of the Empire...

[Pavulon]

109. To be replaced with what?(nt)

[No Elephants]

113. Very false equivalence. You cannot rightly equate acts of or to private, self-supporting human

with act of a supposedly democratic government supported 100% by "donations" required of its workers/voters upon penalty of law.

Plus, no one has a First Amendment right to know what private, self-supporting individuals are up to and no one needs info to vote on which private persons should be voted in or out.

I am not saying every single fact exposed should have been exposed. Just saying your analogy doesn't hold at all.

That said, most of the stuff I've seen should never have happened in the first place and/or never been classified in the first place.

I have a feeling some reactions here would be quite different if this had happened three years ago or happened only to other countries.

[dipsydoodle]

12. Is deplorable the Australian word for good ?

.

[Goldstein1984]

13. Just another politician

Power corrupts

[junior college]

15. The WikiLeaks have been a big letdown for me

Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and various other members of their nasty cabal should be LOCKED UP in PRISON for the REST of their natural lives. So far, nothing in the leaks is going to make this even remotely possible.

[EFerrari]

16. Because the Obama administration is covering up for them.

The leaks have clearly shown that.

[movonne]

18. I think I read that only less than 1% of the info that WikiLeaks has

been distributed...maybe you will see more to your liking coming...

[dipsydoodle]

74. Correct

Less than 1%. Plenty to go.

[JackRiddler]

76. 99% of the material from the Bush regime years remains to be released.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

17. Of course he does. Pfft. n/t

[krabigirl]

21. I think Obama's presidency has been deplorable.

[tcaudilllg]

123. Not staying home in Nov 2012 BUT...

probably not going to put anything down for pres, either.

[Hissyspit]

26. Yeah, well fuck that shit.

Simplistic demonization worthy of Fox News.

[EFerrari]

29. That's what I don't get, the ineptness.

What happened to those smart people who ran the campaign?

I guess I vastly over estimated them.

[Hissyspit]

33. A group that has documented, evidenced and revealed deplorable actions is called deplorable.

I can no way defend that choice of word even within the context which Obama finds himself.

[No Elephants]

116. In hindsight, I think I may have voted as much for Axelrod as I did for Obama.

Damned good marketing job.

Puts me a little in mind of Cyrano.

[EFerrari]

119. You know, maybe I did, too. Good point!

[Lint Head]

27. WikiLeaks' actions were heroic in the face of current US media corporate propaganda.

How is a Saudi Prince hiring prostitutes and parting with powerful world leaders some kind of damn state secret?
Who are the secret CIA or FBI secret agents have been harmed? What soldiers or reporters have been killed other than us killing our
own based on a WikiLeaks data exposure?

What is being hidden and finally exposed is corruption by powerful world leaders and their underlings. That is why our overlords are pissed.

[goforit]

32. OBAMA = FAILURE!!! Wikileaks will make sure of this.

He earned it ...100%

[EFerrari]

41. The blame is not all Obama's by any means.

This is how Washington works. He's just fitting in.

[BlueJac]

53. He should lead instead of being one of the crowd.......

that would be what Presidents do, ya think?

[EFerrari]

56. Sure and leaders act within a context, too. n/t

[Bluerthanblue]

64. thank you-

for saying that.

[nc4bo]

78. But one one of the campaign promises was changing the way Washington works, right?

2 years later, it looks like SSDD.

[EFerrari]

80. That's true. n/t

[ProudDad]

110. One should know by now that that kind of stuff

is election year blather...

He was INSIDE WASHINGTON - in the bloody Senate...

He KNEW he couldn't change the way Washington works...

Even if he wanted to change the way Washington works...

Which he didn't...if it harmed the corporatocracy...

[Pavulon]

111. I dont think accepting espionage was part of the stump

speech. Maybe I forgot that part.

[No Elephants]

117. If only he had campaigned on fitting in and over classifying, as usual, instead of on

change and transparency, I would have had a better idea of who I was donating to and volunteering and voting for.

[No Elephants]

118. Wikileaks has people on his side. Or so a poll said.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madmax]

54. Please, please I want more

deplorable, Sir.

Free Julian Assange

[Faith No More]

57. No, YOU are deplorable Obama!

What happened to your calls for "transparency" in government. You're no better than the fool before you.

[Bluerthanblue]

65. he's FAR better than the last president.

If you don't know that, you are the fool.

[eklektoscdc]

63. New to politics

I'm 29, but this last election is the first time I've voted. I just started following politics and had NO IDEA things were this heated. I thought democrats liked the president?? What's wrong with Fox news?? And where do I get reliable info on progressive issues, and who is on the right side of the issues? (for future voting)Could someone also define "social justice" I've seen that used alot in posts in different contexts

[No Elephants]

120. Dude, what's your deal? You made is post, almost word for word,

on another thread. IIRC, even down to putting NO IDEA in all caps in both posts. And you were answered.

[laylah]

66. Mr. President...

the MAN I campaigned for, the man whose picture sits upon my china closet as my child (who also campaigned for you!) took it of you on the Oval at Colorado State University...for shame! You PROMISED transparency, actually, you promised A LOT. I have held back, knowing you were handed a plate of manure that was not yours. Instead of rejecting that plate of manure, and rallying forth, you have fallen into line.

Jullian Assange is a HERO, IMVHO, as was Ellsburg! The powers-that-be can kiss my patriotic, boney butt...deplorable? Please, Sir, just look into the mirror!

Jenn

[sendero]

67. Bug waging a pointless, counterproductive and illegal..

... war is just all right.

The media and the politicians are going all out to convince the sheeple that Wikileaks is bad bad bad, only the feeble minded are buying it.

I hope they do a core dump of everything they have tomorrow.

[Jefferson23]

68. I wish I could say I was shocked by Obama's statement. n/t

[Violet_Crumble]

69. Could someone point me to where Obama calls those who call for the death of Assange deplorable?

Or am, as I'm suspecting, violent and undemocratic calls for assassination not considered by Obama to be deplorable in the way that sharing information with the world is? Politicians are all the same. Power corrupts...

[avaistheone1]

71. Sorry Joanne, I marked unrecommend by accident.

Saw what Obama said in your OP and I was furious then I hit unrecommend on autoreflex.

[Amaya]

75. who fucking cares what you think obama

you showed your true colors

[Hardrada]

79. Hear! Hear!

[Bluebear]

81. Says Mr. "Transparency in Government". nt

[boppers]

84. No kidding.

"I'm for non-embarrassing transparency?"

[Vidar]

85. Another brilliant demonstration of what a corrupt, little corporate toady you are, Mr. President.

[and-justice-for-all]

86. Wikileaks is patriotic...nt

[BlueStater]

87. You know who I find deplorable?

People who let war criminal presidents get away with their crimes when they actually have the power to bring them to justice. Just shut the fuck up, Obama, you despicable protector of mass murderers.

[rayofreason]

88. What does Bill Clinton think?...

... After all, isn't he in charge now while Obama goes to Xmas parties?

[AlphaCentauri]

91. You see Felipe Calderon Wikileaks is saying you are stupid

shame on them, you wanna look smarter Felipe? sell your oil company....

[Freetradesucks]

92. I didn't realize that leaking confidential

information that is critical to our national security was a Democrat Party value.

[AlphaCentauri]

93. So democratic values as freedom of the press shouldn't be Democratic party values

[Freetradesucks]

94. This isn't just freedom of the press,

There is a need for for privacy in our international dealings.

[AlphaCentauri]

95. Why? Democracy is the government of the people for the people

[EFerrari]

102. Covering up war crimes and obstruction of justice is not privacy

it's conspiracy.

[EFerrari]

100. I didn't realize that covering up government corruption was national security!

[No Elephants]

121. Which leaked info was "critical" to our national security?

That a world leader is "pudgy" or has a blond Ukranian nurse with him everywhere he goes?

IMO, voters knowing how much publicly available drivel our government claims is a government secret is far more essential to our national security than anything wikileaks published. Ditto how bad our security for government secrets, real or imagined, actually is.

I also found it useful to have published that players feel free to ask us to spend our blood and treasure warring on nations they see as their religious and/or political enemies while they keep their money and people safe at home. Why do I think that ease tells us this is not the first such request and maybe at least one prior request has been granted?

If this disclosure smakes them hesitate to repeat such requests, fine with me.

[boppers]

122. Please explain how Eric Clapton being asked to play in North Korea is critical to national security.

I'd like to hear this logic.

[Occulus]

124. "Democrat Party"

[24601]

103. Well that settles the question as the President and Commander

in Chief has spoken. All DUers are hereby commanded by the head of the party to fall into line lest the communists - I mean the terrorists - win. US Cyber Command will monitor postings accordingly - just listen for that knock at the door and get ready to run. Well, we could amend the Constitution and bring back Bush or forget the amendment and bring in Jeb - he's supposed to be the smarter one anyway.

OK, turning to the serious, do we really want cables watered down that they say, "The conversation was polite and frank - the food and wine were nice and nobody threw up" instead of "Better get SECSTATE out here to talk to this asshat before she sells nukes to Al Qaeda and starts WWIII."

Private conversations need to remain that way or there will be no substantative conversations.

[still_one]

104. No surprise here, blame it on the messenger, and not the government unable to keep secrets /nt

[ProudDad]

112. Or worse -- a "government" that feels it has to keep secrets... (n/t)

[ProudDad]

105. Obama's erstwhile base calls

Obama's actions "deplorable"...

with much greater cause...

[The Flaming Red Head]

115. WikiLeaks exposing Pfizer’s unethical drug test on children is just

Not deplorable at all. It’s really wonderful. Thank you WikiLeaks.