Anyone who has read a lot at this blog knows that I have been fairly consistent in my opposition to the Iraq War. I was opposed to it from the run up to it in 2002-and I remain of the opinion that the war was a huge mistake. A human, a military and an economic disaster for the United States.
I have evolved to a similar conclusion about Afghanistan-although that’s a little bit different. We clearly had to extract vengance on someone after 9-11, and they were the most likely target. That we failed to massively inflict that vengance-and that we got side tracked by the war in Iraq is another matter. But now-from the perspective of 2010, it is clear to me that there is little more that can be done with a backwards minded people who cannot and will not help themselves. While we have fiddled in Central Asia-China has been on a roll. Of the two China is a bigger long term threat to US national interest.
For those reasons, a lot of bloggers have been writing in praise of what Julian Assange did in releasing both the Afghanistan documents and the Iraq documents. I will not do so here. What he did was wrong. However wrong the Iraq war is and was-this action is unjustified and against the law. Many have tried to argue that there is some higher moral law that justifies his actions. I disagree.
For one thing-we already had on the table, clear cut evidence that George W. Bush took the country to war under false pretenses-and used false information to goad our British allies into joining us. An action by the way at odds with their own public opinion.
I am not happy about Wikileaks and I think what they did was and remains very wrong. I am REALLY disturbed about the fact that obviously military personnel on active duty are helping him. Those people should be tracked down and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Equally as reprenshible, is the current thread making its way through the milblog world that Julian Assange should be killed. Comments like-”turn his name over to the Mossad”, “blow up his car”, “he should be poisioned” etc etc. This from the same people who then have the balls to turn around and lecture me-or anyone else about sexual morality. Whatever damage Assange has done-advocating the kind of “anything goes” and “exact retribution” ideas betrays our ideals as a nation and makes us absolutely no different than the enemies we are fighting. If the country wants to go down that road-well fine. But don’t try to stand on some moral high ground and talk about “shining lights” on a hill. Its still immoral-just because its being done by our side does not mitigate that.
So the bottom line for me is that, the active duty people who helped Assange broke the law. They should be prosecuted under that law. Perhaps Assange should be extradited and tried under the law too. But only under the law that is applicable-not some whacked out version of vigilante justice.
Amen