So instead of learning the valuable lesson from what Bradley Manning released, the warmongers successfully demonized the messenger. Almost everyone has heard the mantra that Bradley “put the troops in harms way.”

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Anderson Cooper speaking to Julian Assange on Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN), 6/10/13, transcribed by Jeff Fenske:

“When WikiLeaks published the huge trough of communications and documents that Bradley Manning allegedly provided to you, many in the administration and in Congress very publicly, loudly said this caused tremendous damage to the U.S. — put hundreds of people at risk. What’s interesting is that since then, if you do research on it, U.S. officials have actually said that the information WikiLeaks published did not really significantly compromise U.S. security.

I read an article in 2010. Then Defense Secretary Bob Gates said the revelations were embarrassing and awkward, but he’s called them “fairly modest” in terms of the consequences on foreign policy.

There was talk that this was going to hurt Afghans. They were going to get attacked by the Taliban because of some of the revelations. An official told CNN, I think it was in 2010, that they didn’t have to move any of the Afghans because of the revelations.”

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From: Politico

November 30, 2010

Gates shrugs off WikiLeaks cable dump

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been pretty tough on leakers and leaks, but he made clear Tuesday that he’s not among those who take an almost apocalyptic view of the public release of 250,000 diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks.

“I’ve heard the impact of these releases on our foreign policy described as a meltdown, as a game-changer, and so on….I think those descriptions are fairly significantly overwrought,” Gates said during a press conference on the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” report. “The fact is, governments deal with the United States because it’s in their interest, not because they like us, not because they trust us, and not because they believe we can keep secrets.”

“Is this embarrassing? Yes. Is it awkward? Yes,” Gates continued. “Consequences for U.S. foreign policy? I think fairly modest.”

Gates conceded that the WikiLeaks release, which seems to be the product of the same leak that led to criminal charges against Army Pvt. Bradley Manning….

Entire Article Here

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