We know that the 4 major media outlets aren’t the only repositories of these cables. They are spread far and wide around the planet and their eventual release somewhere is inevitable. We also know that the last two Wikileaks releases when everything was released in the space of a few days have still even now not been properly scrutinised, there is much in them that is important none of us know about.
WL tried it differently this time, knowing full well that the global media being what it is that cables about the King of Saudi suggesting Iran get nuked would always be published early when public interest is high and embarrassing stuff that doesn’t serve the purposes of the global media owners would come later if at all.
The upside of that is that the global media by releasing what they have done are authenticating the whole bunch of cables just as the amerikan govt is with its continual whining about the release. The other stuff will come later, and sure some people will have moved on but since those people are more likely to be the types who believe what they are told, it is difficult to see that earlier release followed by buckets of lies and spin tipped over the cables, J Assange, Palestinians, and Arabs in general would convince them anyhow.
It is a piss-off no doubt about it but that just makes what ordinary peeps who don’t believe, like us, that much more important.
I have downloaded the complete sets of Afghanistan & Iraq and grab the daily cable releases. Why? Because after searching the damn things for the few bits of history I accurately remember, and finding a few crumbs, I still refer back and search at least once a day, when I read of some incident that occurred during the Iraq horror or some asshole is in the media bragging about what he did in Afghanistan, just to see how much the official story diverges from the contemporaneous accounts. Eventually I may find a big lie in which case I’ll try and make sure it gets out.
The more people that do that, take advantage of the net and its strengths the sooner we’ll be showing the pricks up more frequently.
Most of the stuff contained in these cables concerns recent events, but as recent as they are they are still in the past. This stuff is history, the documents that governments usually don’t allow out for 50 or 100 years when peeps are finally told the truth long after anyone can be held accountable, which is why history seems so old to us. This stuff is out there now which means the chances of pols or bureaucrats lying about what really happened until everyone involved is dead, has gone out the door.
They will be spewing because even if, as is extremely likely, courts announce these cables are inadmissible, and can’t be used as proof of crimes, the world is gonna know what pricks they were and their opportunity for a graceful retirement full of speeches and spin, has gone. No one really thought that these cables would cause charges to be laid did they?
Courts may be ignoring them but historians won’t be, talk to any modern history specialist or independent foreign policy wonk they consider this stuff pure gold and it will get better.
It is becoming increasingly likely that Assange is being held as a hostage. The amerikans are playing good cop bad cop. One day insinuating they are gonna throw away the key, the next that they have no plans for Assange’s extradition.
He will be held in England/Sweden under some form of house arrest until the Cablegate furore dies down, most likely after the xmas holiday break. Wikileaks are in a rock and a hard place, maybe they will push the lot out now anyway, but even if they do, there is no guarantee the major media outlets will stray from their predetermined timetable.
People will move back to what celebrity drank too much which one got an Ipad and how we (ordinary peeps) are all going to have to knuckle down to pay for our excessive lifestyle.
Take a look in the guardian comments the sockpuppets are already saying “God this is boring WikiLeaks was last week”. In relation to the Pfizer horror story!
Then WL will somehow get out all the cables and we will sort through them. Why would WikiLeaks move the rudder of the media far? Think of all the murders, torturing, renditions and other horror stories already out there which haven’t moved the bullshit spew off course an inch.
But it isn’t all bad; more thinking people have been forced to acknowledge that the forces of empire aren’t acting in the best interests of humanity. That will continue after the cables all come out and we have to wade through them ourselves.
As for the Guardian well it has changed greatly from the days when it used to print a bit of KGB spin. It is owned by a foundation that has some sort of relationship with the english labour party, that means it was effected by Bliar’s NuLabour purges, as much as any of the other Labour allied structures.

Posted by: Debs is dead | Dec 11 2010 22:14 utc | 3

here’s an interesting wikileaks site. different than anything i’ve seen thus far (but then again maybe i just haven’t been around)
also check out the icelandic weather report
ouch.

Posted by: annie | Dec 12 2010 3:15 utc | 5

The lack of coverage of anything that might prove embarrassing to Israel is also illustrated by the silence around the lawsuit by Steven Rosen against AIPAC.
It’s also ironic that the Espionage Act that might be used against Assange was unsuccessfully tried against Rosen himself.

Posted by: Dick Durata | Dec 12 2010 5:01 utc | 7

There are, it seems to me, several reasons why cables to and fro Israel might be different from other batches, in their interest, importance, scope. (Apart from their description in the MSM.)
b wrote in another post : 1. These cables were written by U.S. Foreign Service members that want to be liked by their political bosses. Showing stalwart allegiance to Israel for decades, to obtain and hold on to their posts, their status, income, barbed-wire villas, free plane trips…
2. The conduits or channels might be different, as suggested in the top post. One might view this in a more general way. As US-Isr. ties are so strong, with implicit or worked agreements on underlying issues, events are read and reported on in a certain prescribed way, and less needs be stated, explained. Super-secrets might be commonly held. Or, in other words, the nexus of US-Isr. power may be acting largely outside of the instituted officialdom, which exists as a sort of theatre, rumbling away on automatic.
3. Some censorship or ‘shaping’, ‘direction’ before or just possibly after the fact by the Israelis themselves. (?? not very likely.)
Overall, though, I think this is not an important issue, it is an emanation from the Assange must be plant or whatever crowd — with WL, what you see is what you get. They are, so to speak, quite transparent.
Many ppl have become so suspicious of Gvmts. and the MSM they now question everything and find it comfortable to just slip into whatever their preferred conspiracy mode is. This was naturally encouraged by the PTB, as it renders part of the public irrational and uninformed, or brands them idiots who can be mocked and bashed, and sets ppl one against the other. Fostering conspiracy mongering and gossip also lets one parade as a victim and gather stronger support (see Sarah Palin, for ex. But I digress…)

Posted by: Noirette | Dec 12 2010 14:06 utc | 9

There are, it seems to me, several reasons why cables to and fro Israel might be different from other batches, in their interest, importance, scope.
there seems to be a general disappointment about the israel cables as if they are not thrilling enough. i think they are inflammatory but because we have become inured w/the rhetorical pressure coming out of israel this stuff just sounds normal to us now. i also take larry wilkerson’s (words in this video seriously.
“the information being reported back to Washington isn’t necessarily the truth,” but is “designed to obfuscate, and to lie, and to twist, and to turn–anything but the complete truth….and if they are the truth as seen by the observers, the observers are often fooled.”
i notice everything written here is now part and parcel of what our foreign policy is aimed towards. so what does that confirm? it confirms a trajectory coming from israel or netanyahu’s mouth to the discourse we’re all hearing today.
parts of it he sounds like he’s running the show.
Netanyahu said there were three bills in Congress designed to divest U.S. pension funds from investing in about 300, mostly European, companies currently doing business in Iran. Divestment would immediately bring down the credit
ratings of these companies, thus forcing them to respond. Netanyahu urged Congress to support the divestment legislation, adding that he also planned to use a visit to the U.S. to raise the issue with Wall Street fund managers.
plus, the whole regime change thing and all the rhetoric about the palestinians is exactly what we hear today almost 4 years later. the tune hasn’t changed one iota. they send out the meme from every corner and it becomes our reality. and it’s an inflammatory meme.

Posted by: annie | Dec 12 2010 17:23 utc | 11

Daves S asked : Why is criticism of Israel always compared to anti-semitism?
Equated to, not compared.
Because being a victim of injustice – in this case racial-ethnic-religious hate and prejudice based on the history of WW2, the ‘Shoah’, etc. provides a rationale for rejecting criticism, stifling objections, refusing questions, transforming facts, etc. or just freaking out about it and being expected to be taken seriously.
The victim postures, demands privileges, invokes a special status, the right to special treatment due to past wrongs and current invoked stereotypes. Exactly in the way individuals do – the guilt trip!
Painting your attackers or labeling any critique anti-semitic, is not politically correct and can be quite effective. Note that such a strategy doesn’t work for anti-muslim – attitude that is completely accepted in the West. Imagine if the papers of record printed articles on jew-fascism or judeo-fascism. (Muslim countries are gradually using the same strategy – see for ex. the Mohammed cartoons affair and their ongoing struggle in bodies like the ‘human rights commission’ to ban all critiques and discrimination based on religion.)
The effectiveness of the ploy rests entirely on the indefatigable and massive support of the US for Isr., with Western powers and others who fear the US or seek to appease it joining in. It is addressed to the public at large, to all US officials, Gvmt. military, media, corporations, etc. and is used and abused to keep ppl from finding out what really goes on in Israel, the territories, neighboring countries like Lebanon, etc. so that approval and prayer for the tiny, racist, violent outpost endures.
Isr. desires that criticism of Isr. be framed not as pointed to, for ex. apartheid laws, the arbitrary killing of Palestinians, razing olive trees, stealing water, etc. but to prejudice against Jews.
Such arguments do rest on a twisted logic, as since its inception Israel has been set up and touted as a Homeland for Jews, the two – Israel and Jews – are somewhat indistinguishable, both in the public mind and as enshrined in laws and international accords.
The rest is geo-politics in the ME, US hegemony, the military-defense state apparatus in the US which has to destroy and kill to be funded, the US taking over British empire burdens or impulses, energy matters, etc.
Note: Avoided ‘Jewish lobby’ type arguments as they are but an outcome of awarded, enshrined exceptionalism.

Posted by: Noirette | Dec 14 2010 16:09 utc | 13

For matters of policy and information, I would guess that the US embassy is short-circuited, made redundant by Israel’s presence both directly and by proxy in the US. Other than consular matters of US citizens in Israel and Palestine getting shot in the face and run over by bulldozers, the function of communication from State Dept presence in Tel Aviv would probably be not so interesting.

Posted by: YY | Dec 17 2010 10:11 utc | 15