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Sarah Palin Compares Wikileaks To Both Gawker And al Qaeda

by Tommy Christopher | 2:13 pm, November 30th, 2010

» 40 comments

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has taken to her trademark social media platforms to deliver some oddly Twitzophrenic reactions to the recent Wikileaks document dump. On her Twitter feed, Palin compares the Wikileaks scandal to her legal battle against Gawker’s leak of excerpts from her book, while Facebook Palin wonders why the Obama administration isn’t treating Wikileaks just like al Qaeda and the Taliban. Palin’s scattershot reactions are emblematic of the partisan feeding frenzy over the still-developing response to Wikileaks.

First, Palin posed this query via her Twitter feed:

Inexplicable: I recently won in court to stop my book “America by Heart” from being leaked,but US Govt can’t stop Wikileaks’ treasonous act?

It shouldn’t take a finely-tuned legal mind to explain the difference between a copyright dispute and a possible violation of the Espionage Act, but Palin’s comparison fails even on its own terms. Her legal action against Gawker didn’t stop the excerpts of America by Heart from being leaked. Those excerpts remained online for over a week before Gawker took them down, and the very same excerpts remained online, despite the legal action, at pro-Palin sites who quoted them extensively.

If anything, the administration’s current effort to criminally prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange follows the exact same trajectory as Palin’s anti-Gawker effort.

On Facebook, Palin asks “Serious Questions about the Obama Administration’s Incompetence in the Wikileaks Fiasco,” such as:

…what steps were taken to stop Wikileaks director Julian Assange from distributing this highly sensitive classified material especially after he had already published material not once but twice in the previous months?

Why was (Assange) not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?

What if any diplomatic pressure was brought to bear on NATO, EU, and other allies to disrupt Wikileaks’ technical infrastructure?

Did we use all the cyber tools at our disposal to permanently dismantle Wikileaks?

Were individuals working for Wikileaks on these document leaks investigated?

Shouldn’t they at least have had their financial assets frozen just as we do to individuals who provide material support for terrorist organizations?

How was it possible that a 22-year-old Private First Class could get unrestricted access to so much highly sensitive information?

And how was it possible that he could copy and distribute these files without anyone noticing that security was compromised?

But why did the White House not publish these orders (to prevent future leaks) after the first leak back in July?

What explains this strange lack of urgency on their part?

Of course, some of Palin’s questions have already been answered, but most of them proceed from a fatally flawed premise. Palin and her haymaking ilk seem to think that the best way to respond to a leak of highly sensitive, secret information is to immediately reveal all of our highly sensitive, possibly secret plans to deal with it.

While there may end up being valid criticisms of the Obama administration’s response to these leaks, it is unfair and unwise to rush to judgment while they are being necessarily cautious in responding. They must not only avoid tipping their hand, but the President is also wise not to shoot from the hip, and make statements that could possibly damage the United States’ legal position against Assange and Wikileaks. Although the press has long lamented President Obama’s at-times too cool temperament, sometimes grown-ups have to resist the urge to throw a tantrum.

America by Heart, Julian Assange, Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin Facebook, Sarah Palin Twitter, Wikileaks

Pablo

Sarah Palin Compares Wikileaks To Both Gawker And al Qaeda

Because of this?

Why was (Assange) not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?

Tommy, you’re a hack.
Atticus Draco

Pablo said:
Because of this?

Tommy, you’re a hack.

Yeah,, lol,, indeed he is
Astute readers know
HEY COLBY YOU AROUND BUDDY?
More Liberty

More PALIN-WATCH 2010 I see. LOL…hilarious. On a side note, she should have embraced the leaks as forcing governmental transparency. She can easily denounce the PFC that commited a crime, but stand behind news worthy information which is the lies and corruption of our diplomats in the government.

This is one reason why I don’t care for her. She appears to be just another neocon, and not a libertarian.
Bronco46

Sarah is right of course! But for my money, probably for political reason she doesn’t go far enough.
This should be talked care of in the way the old Soviet Union would have. With a visit from someone
with a substance or lead pellet that would properly deal with someone so willing to put so many people’s
lives at risk for his own personal reward.
The obama administration has been unable to deal with any of these leaks and never will be able to do
anything. They’ve forgotten who they are supposed to be protecting.
Atticus Draco

More Liberty said:
More PALIN-WATCH 2010 I see. LOL…hilarious. On a side note, she should have embraced the leaks as forcing governmental transparency. She can easily denounce the PFC that commited a crime, but stand behind news worthy information which is the lies and corruption of our diplomats in the government.

This is one reason why I don’t care for her. She appears to be just another neocon, and not a libertarian.

JEEZE,,, that’s bit too EXTREME for me ML
Since you’ve mentioned it,,
Who do you then favor that has your extreme measures at heart and mind?
jooce81

So a website that released a bunch of documents showing how fucked up the war effort is going and how much our political leaders are assholes are the same as a radical group of terrorists who plot and carry out attacks that injure and kill thousands of people.. fact of the matter is, Wiki didn’t steal the info, like it or not they can post whatever they want on the internet.
jooce81

More Liberty said:
This is one reason why I don’t care for her. She appears to be just another neocon, and not a libertarian.

exactly…..
Hugo Daun

This article deserves to be re-posted:

http://www.politicususa.com/en/sarah-palins-dangerous-wikileaks
jacobjakeu

“Rush to judgment”???? Are you kidding??? This wasn’t the first leak. The first leak was months ago and the Obama administration did absolutely nothing. This is the third major release of information. And only NOW are we considering espionage charges against Assange….. why wasn’t this done after the first one? Why wasn’t serious pressure mounted on countries he could be in to work with us to get this guy?

Palin’s Facebook questions are absolutely correct and legitimate. Your “rush to judgment” concern is ludicrous.

As for her Twitter comment, that was probably best left unsaid. The spirit of what she meant was right but the comparison was ridiculous.

But your comments regarding the Facebook comments are just as ridiculous and stupid.
More Liberty

Atticus Draco said:
Who do you then favor that has your extreme measures at heart and mind?

I don’t believe following the US Constitution, limited government, non-interventionist foreign policy and holding individual liberty as supreme is extreme at all. What I think extreme is, wars that last as long as the Afghan war, $14.1 trillion debt, $1.3 trillion deficits, and an intrusive government. That’s extreme.
Atticus Draco

More Liberty said:
I don’t believe following the US Constitution, limited government, non-interventionist foreign policy and holding individual liberty as supreme is extreme at all. What I think extreme is, wars that last as long as the Afghan war, $14.1 trillion debt, $1.3 trillion deficits, and an intrusive government. That’s extreme.

lol,,, color it any way you wish
i think it is EXTREME,,, you dont,,, got it,,
still i have the Q
IF ITS NOT SARAH,, WHO ARE YOU ALIGNING YOURSELF WITH THAT POSSIBLY HAS YOU DISTINCT COLORED VIEWS?!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jon-Martin/43100610 Jon Martin

The only way to fix our country is to be ethical. Not get rid of Julian Assange.

Stop being unethical and there is nothing to leak!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jon-Martin/43100610 Jon Martin

Oh and I’m getting really tired of hearing commenters bitch about the author of the articles. Get a life. Don’t read it if you don’t like what he writes.

It’s like complaining to the weatherman when there is rain. GTFO!
More Liberty

@ Atticus,

So you think it’s extreme to believe that maybe we should not be fighting wars that are almost 10 years old? Being in a state of perpetual war is not something a healthy democracy does.

So you think that $14.1 trillion dollars of debt is not extreme? Do you know that right now we pay $360 billion each year of the taxpayer dollars to China in interest payments alone? But I guess that’s just fine and dandy to you – no wonder this country is screwed up.

I don’t have a person I can seriously stand behind, nor do I need one to voice my opinion. I’m a free and independant individual that does not need some “figure” like Sarah or Obama to follow. These two parties are pretty much the same, only slightly different versions. Both are for huge unrepayable debt, endless war and obtrusive government that ignores the US Constitution.
Atticus Draco

More Liberty said:
I don’t have a person I can seriously stand behind, nor do I need one to voice my opinion

lol,, cause it is an extreme position to have!!!
UNREALISTIC

IT’S LIKE telling your wife/girlfriend WHATever free thought you might have,, AND STILL EXPECTING TO GET LAID

“YES HONEY,, YOUR ASS LOOKS FAT IN THAT”
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA F’n LIE SON!
IT’S NOT REALISTIC

Memorable quote FROM
The Hunt for Red October

Ambassador Andrei Lysenko: There is another matter… one I’m reluctant to…
Dr. Jeffrey Pelt: Please.
Ambassador Andrei Lysenko: One of our submarines, an Alfa, was last reported in the area of the Grand Banks. We have not heard from her for some time.
Dr. Jeffrey Pelt: Andrei, you’ve lost another submarine?

NOW in your distintive colered viewed world ML,,’
That scene wold be a whole lot diffrent huh?
The russian ambasodor would already know the correct whereabouts of his boat,, YES?

I’M TALKIN REAL WORLD APPLICATION ML,,
NOT SOME FRICKIN’ IDEALIZED THEORY!!
More Liberty

Atticus Draco said:
I’M TALKIN REAL WORLD APPLICATION ML,,
NOT SOME FRICKIN’ IDEALIZED THEORY!!

So you are saying that in the real world, having wars that are not almost a decade old is feasible?

Are you saying that in the real world, it is not feasible to have the government live within its mean?

Is it not feasible for the government to abide by its budget, and not over spend by $1.4 trillion?

You really believe everything these two parties tell you don’t you. Hook, line and sinker.
More Liberty

This has nothing to do with some Movie written by Tom CLancy.
Atticus Draco

More Liberty said:
So you are saying that in the real world, having wars that are not almost a decade old is feasible?

Are you saying that in the real world, it is not feasible to have the government live within its mean?

Is it not feasible for the government to abide by its budget, and not over spend by $1.4 trillion?

You really believe everything these two parties tell you don’t you. Hook, line and sinker.

NO WHERE did i mention debt,, or the way to execute the war
OR CLAIMING your notions as extreme does it speak those specific issues!
tstev

Assange is being hunted for a broken condom by the goons of Palin’s liking. In modern world, broken condom and open records, is a more of a serious crime than fake documentation by those that caused a major war. Goon’s al Qaeda according to Palin , is Assange and his freedom of information cause.

President Palin should will hunt down Assange instead of Ben Laden and torture him to and put him in Guantanamo. Her older daughter will run Guantanamo to teach condom usage to prisoners while the younger one will become Secretary of State using diplomacy 101, using slurs that will stay top secret.
Atticus Draco

More Liberty said:
This has nothing to do with some Movie written by Tom CLancy.

it was provided as a CLEAR example of two bureaucratic officials speaking to one another
yea it was fiction
jooce81

Atticus Draco said:
lol,,, color it any way you wish
i think it is EXTREME,,, you dont,,, got it,,
still i have the Q
IF ITS NOT SARAH,, WHO ARE YOU ALIGNING YOURSELF WITH THAT POSSIBLY HAS YOU DISTINCT COLORED VIEWS?!

Ron Paul!!!!!!!!
http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

I realize the Espionage Act thing is topic du jour and though it has little to do with Palin’s misguided tweet, someone should point out that an investigation doesn’t necessarily mean that a prosecution is being seriously contemplated. It just means that a file is being filled-out and intelligence gathered. After all even if they were to bring charges, there would still be a major legal hurdle presented by the question of whether Wikileaks, a blog site isn’t also protected by the first amendment.
More Liberty

Atticus Draco said:
NO WHERE did i mention debt,, or the way to execute the war
OR CLAIMING your notions as extreme does it speak those specific issues!

I made the comment about my views at time stamp 3:17.
You replied at 3:22 with “it’s an extreme position.”
Atticus Draco

jooce81 said:
Ron Paul!!!!!!!!

Well, that’s what i was expecting ML to say
But even Raul Paul wouldnt say what ML just said here
TfT

PDS alert.

Her point was nothing was being done Tommy and you have to blow it up into something it was never meant to be. Current efforts (as in just the last day or two due to the outrage of having done nothing) of the One’s administration are only a result of getting slammed by everyone for having done nothing over the past leaks of classified information.

Seek help for your PDS.
Atticus Draco

More Liberty said:
I made the comment about my views at time stamp 3:17.
You replied at 3:22 with “it’s an extreme position.”

yeah,,, and i still hold that opinion
you have an extreme position
Atticus Draco

Atticus Draco said:
jooce81 said:
Ron Paul!!!!!!!!

Well, that’s what i was expecting ML to say
But even Raul Paul wouldnt say what ML just said here

excuse me,, i meant to write RON
More Liberty

Atticus Draco said:
yeah,,, and i still hold that opinion
you have an extreme position

Fine. That’s your opinion. So I guess in your view everything in our country is just fine. No problems with war, no problems with our fiscal situation….everything is just great for you.
Atticus Draco

More Liberty said:
Atticus Draco said:
yeah,,, and i still hold that opinion
you have an extreme position

Fine. That’s your opinion. So I guess in your view everything in our country is just fine. No problems with war, no problems with our fiscal situation….everything is just great for you.

Again ,,, calling you sated views extreme does not mean i’ve made comment on on insularly issues? You think they are associated with you wikileak comment,,lol,, i dont!
More Liberty

@ Atticus,

So then you don’t have a problem with spending $360 billion a year in interest payments, decade long wars, and $14.1 trillion in debt. You thinks those are normal?
Atticus Draco

Atticus Draco said:
Again ,,, calling you sated views extreme does not mean i’ve made comment on on insularly issues? You think they are associated with you wikileak comment,,lol,, i dont!

i apologize,, my web connection his causing delays here
More Liberty

Atticus Draco said:
You think they are associated with you wikileak comment

You see, they are just part of the same problem. We are looking at a government that lies to it’s citizens. I don’t support that.
More Liberty

Atticus Draco said:
i apologize,, my web connection his causing delays here

No problem at all.
Atticus Draco

Atticus Draco said:
More Liberty said:
More PALIN-WATCH 2010 I see. LOL…hilarious. On a side note, she should have embraced the leaks as forcing governmental transparency. She can easily denounce the PFC that commited a crime, but stand behind news worthy information which is the lies and corruption of our diplomats in the government.

This is one reason why I don’t care for her. She appears to be just another neocon, and not a libertarian.

JEEZE,,, that’s bit too EXTREME for me ML
Since you’ve mentioned it,,
Who do you then favor that has your extreme measures at heart and mind?

There’s NOTHING in this exchange,,
that even questions our debt,, the way we are executing the war,, etc
i’just addressed (questioned) the issue of what you said!!!

How you jumped from this to WAR and DEBT WAS YOUR LEAP NOT MINE
Nobodys_Stooge

If they have as much success pursuing wikileaks as they had with Al Queda then I guess we’ll be seeing these leaks for at least another 10 years!
philipjames

How does a really stupid person like Tommy even get a job, never mind a job here at this liberal, biased web site… oh, I guess I answered my own question.

Tommy manages to take a sentence and twist it, turn it, add to it, blow it up and then shrink it, color it, flatten it out and then stretch it. After that Tommy looks at the meaning (which only a person with the mental capacity that he has can do) and decides to explain exactly what it is that Sarah Palin is REALLY saying.

Isn’t the world wonderful that a site like Mediate would give a job to a mentally challenged individual like Tommy?
SarahP

I can see some similarities between this dolt, Palin and The Onion. No disrespect to The Onion.
skyfet

I’ve got news for you Sarah, American Justice system doesn’t have powers abroad it jurisdiction doesn’t cover Europe. So if New York times was stopped, other Foreign press have the leak documents already. Someone needs to inform Sarah that American Justice system is limited to the US. She might not know that.
jooce81

skyfet said:
I’ve got news for you Sarah, American Justice system doesn’t have powers abroad it jurisdiction doesn’t cover Europe. So if New York times was stopped, other Foreign press have the leak documents already. Someone needs to inform Sarah that American Justice system is limited to the US. She might not know that.

great point.. some people simply don’t realize citizens of other countries living in other countries are not held to American Law
Khyber Pass

Will someone tell me how you/we know that Mr. Obama has NOT been doing anything about the earlier leaks?
I guess if it’s not announced from the land of Beckistan it’s not happening?

I am thankful Mr . Obama is the adult in the room……and the pissing contest between the little boys on this page is just background hum……easy to ignore……except as it demonstrates the level of communication between too many in this country today…..