Wikileaks announced today that leading international newspapers, including The New York Times, were going to release the classified American security information today even if the website was shut down.
They misspelled Spiegel.
Despite the fact that we have the most radical far left president in American history sitting in the White House these leftist papers couldn't resist the temptation to embarrass and damage US foreign policy. But, at least they praised the Obama Administration for their handling of this latest disaster.
John Hinderaker at Power Line reported on how the New York Times managed to make the Obama Administration look good despite this historic breach of security.
The paper needn't have much fear of criminal prosecution, since it uses the leaked cables as an opportunity for a paean to the Obama administration's foreign policies. Here, the Times reviews cables relating to Iran's nuclear program. Not surprisingly, they record the fact that pretty much everyone in the region urged the U.S. to do something to stop Iran from getting the bomb, by military action if necessary. The entertaining part of the story, however, is the Times's defense of the Obama administration's policy of "engagement" with Iran:
The election of Mr. Obama, at least initially, left some countries wondering whether the sanctions push was about to end. Shortly after taking office, in a videotaped message timed to the Persian New Year, he reiterated his campaign offer of a "new beginning" — the first sustained talks in three decades with Tehran.
The United Arab Emirates called Mr. Obama's message "confusing." The American Embassy in Saudi Arabia reported that the talk about engaging Iran had "fueled Saudi fears that a new U.S. administration might strike a 'grand bargain' without prior consultations."
In Europe, Germany and others discerned an effort to grab market share. "According to the British, other EU Member states fear the U.S. is preparing to take commercial advantage of a new relationship with Iran and subsequently are slowing the EU sanctions process," the American Embassy in London reported.
The administration, though, had a different strategy in mind.
The Times explains that Obama sent an emissary to meet with "more than 70 Middle East experts from European governments." His mission was to explain that the administration wasn't really serious about engagement (my paraphrase). This stratagem, the Times tells us, worked like a charm:
The decoding of Mr. Obama's plan was apparently all the Europeans needed, and by year's end, even Germany, with its suspicions and longstanding trading ties with Iran, appeared to be on board.
The paper details how the administration went on to secure support from Russia and China, which is where the story ends. Of course, what has happened since then is not encouraging, as Iran continues its nuclear weapons and missile development apace. Still, President Obama could hardly ask for a gentler treatment of one of his administration's central foreign policy frustrations. Leaking, evidently, isn't what it used to be.
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