Short answer: It gains little traction otherwise. NYU superhuman being Jay Rosen pointed this fact out on Twitter tonight. Last year, Wikileaks guy Julian Assange put it like this: “You’d think the bigger and more important the document is, the more likely it will be reported on but that’s absolutely not true. It’s about supply and demand. Zero supply equals high demand, it has value. As soon as we release the material, the supply goes to infinity, so the perceived value goes to zero.” So in other words, if they just put it up without talking to the press first, nobody would see it. source
We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies. All governments can benefit from increased scrutiny by the world community, as well as their own people. We believe this scrutiny requires information.
A note on the Wikileaks Web site • Noting why they do what they do, despite the controversy it creates. Let’s face it. They’re very self-promotional. They know how to get their name out there. And they want to get a message out there. The message this time? “[The leak] shows not only the severe incidents but the general squalor of war, from the death of individual children to major operations that kill hundreds,” said Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks. source
We are in this to win. We have arrived at a critical moment.
Gen. David Petraeus • Speaking to his Afghan troops on the Fourth of July (of all days), his first official day of service in the region. It’s been a difficult month in the region, with more coalition casualties in June than at any period since the war began. Petraeus reflected that in his speech. “As you and our Afghan partners on the ground get into tough situations, we must employ all assets to ensure your safety,” he said, “keeping in mind, again, the importance of avoiding civilian casualties.” source
“This is a war of Obama’s choosing.” Wait a second, we’re not geniuses here, but we’re pretty sure that the GOP largely supports the Afghan War, too, not just Obama. And here’s Steele suggesting it can’t be won, that a land war in Afghanistan is “the one thing you don’t do.” Whether or not these comments were taken out of context, let’s face it – this guy says incredibly stupid crap from time to time. Both parties are criticizing him for this one. And they should. It totally shows a lack of understanding of his own party’s message. source
In this incident several insurgents were killed and I can tell you that the security perimeter was not breached and the insurgents were being stopped by Afghan and ISAF forces very effectively.
NATO spokesman Brigadier General Josef Blotz • Refuting claims by the Taliban that they killed dozens of Afghan and coalition fighters in the midst of a firefight outside Jalalabad’s Bagram Air Base. Instead, six Taliban solders were killed and two coalition soliders were wounded. The Taliban’s attack was flashy but ineffective – first a car bomb went off and then a bunch of insurgents tried to storm the air base, but never got close. source