[redcat]

There is a difference between documents that are classified to protect State secrets vital to National security and those that are classified to spare Government embarassing press and or investigations, or another way to put it ,documents classified to keep the American People in the dark.

[The Garbone]

My understanding is that slice (Manning) and Assuange dumped a bunch of message traffic without much filtering.

Even if some things in message traffic seem to be not so important a lot of things can be gleaned .

The Japanese lost at midway due to communications about a water treatment plant.  The Germans in the north Atlantic lost due to not only the hedgehog but the fact that their communications were compromised. 
There is a doctor in Pakistan that has been sent to prison because he helped the U.S. get Bin Laden, his name was released in a similar leak. 

[GlennF]

Gustav Gilbert interviewing Herman Goring:

Göring: Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.
Gilbert: There is one difference. In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.
Göring: Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.

[The_Rigger]

I seriously doubt Britain would assault the embassy of another sovereign country.

I don't.

[The_Rigger]

There is no telling how many lives that scumbag has cost and who they were....
I hope we get our hands on him, suck every last bit of information out of him and then make him disappear forever.

For the record, not all Americans feel this way.  (Thank Almighty G*d....)

[AgentX]

I don't.

To get semantic, which is the Brits' point, once they've revoked the status there is no longer inviolability of the diplomatic premises.

I don't doubt for a second they'd employ this unilateral method if there were suspects of a recent act of violence taking refuge on the premises, and they wouldn't get much blowback for doing such a thing, from any country that matters anyhow.

Going in after Assange?  Too controversial to be of value to do.

[Maturin]

My understanding is that slice (Manning) and Assuange dumped a bunch of message traffic without much filtering.

Even if some things in message traffic seem to be not so important a lot of things can be gleaned .

The Japanese lost at midway due to communications about a water treatment plant.  The Germans in the north Atlantic lost due to not only the hedgehog but the fact that their communications were compromised. 
There is a doctor in Pakistan that has been sent to prison because he helped the U.S. get Bin Laden, his name was released in a similar leak.

So what about the helicopter crew who had real fun playing trap shoot with civilians, trying to pick up wounded people? What about these Einsteins in Abu Graib who ensured the supply of fresh volunteers for the terrorists for months? All that was made public by Assange and Manning, and all consequences that were drawn in these cases were drawn after Wikileak´s releases. If they wouldn´t have leaked it a lot of incompetent soldiers would have granted the chance to screw up again, as the ones in charge and responsibility in the US forces obviously weren´t too keen to take measures. If they would have done their duty and followed their own regulations, Assange would have nothing to leak about. The most interesting thing about all these releases and all the classified paperwork was, after all, that so many failures obviously hadn´t had any consequences.
Concerning the Pakistani doctor: why would Pakistan jail someone helping to get Bin Laden? They´re allied with the US, and part of the war against terror! Just like my country - Germany and Pakistan side-by-side! Oh, dear...Regards
Maturin

[The Garbone]

Its a dirty business.  Incompetance abounds and I believe competance is probably the exception not the rule.   Any service is made up of people and they are bound to make mistakes, some criminal.   Criminals should be prosecuted be it for murder or treason or spying.   As a service member the best you can do is follow lawful orders lawfully.

If you have not seen the movie "Grande Torino" with Clint Eastwood I think it gives an excellent look at some of the issues soldiers have faced and probably always will.   It is  all tragic. 

[redcat]

Amen on that

[Lwt Big Cheese]

Can you get this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19323783

[ridgerunner]

"Concerning the Pakistani doctor: why would Pakistan jail someone helping to get Bin Laden? They´re allied with the US, and part of the war against terror! Just like my country - Germany and Pakistan side-by-side! Oh, dear...Regards
Maturin"

Allies are not always fully cooperative or open with each other. Americans are being killed by Afghan police as well as Pakastanis. Sometimes governments are allies but their people aren't.

[Arizoni]

Most governments become allies only when the other government is doing what they want.

[GlennF]

US "allied" countries, territories, protectorates etc ......

Afghanistan
Albania
American Samoa
Andorra
Argentina
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bolivia (Eastern Provinces)
Bosnia
Botswana
Bulgaria
Canada
Chad
Chile
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Egypt
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras (De facto government)
Hungary
Iceland
India
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey
Jordan
Kiribati
Korea, Republic
Kosovo
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Morocco
Nauru
Netherland Antilles
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Northern Marianas
Norway
Oman
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Portuguese Atlantic Islands
Puerto Rico
Reunion
Romania
Samoa
San Marino
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Spain
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Tonga
Turkey
UAE
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Virgin Islands