Maybe I should have named this article “Wicked Leaks and the nadir of US diplomacy”? The proverbial all hell broke loose as that source of leaks of things governmental, although unable to get its site going, had its “partners” who gleefully “let the dogs,” er documents out. In one morning, the dogs peed all over diplomatic arrangements, engagements, and trysts. The world received a peek into diplomatic speak via the WikiLeaks’ leak.

In case no one has thought of this yet, let me be one of the first to announce that it is not going to be the leaders who were mocked or ridiculed in those cables, who will suffer. My fellow (ordinary) Americans, you will – we will. Your sons, daughters, husbands, wives, grandkids, who are out there defending us – will. Those world leaders have their protection, even if not protection against wanton cables.

Prince Andrew supposedly said of Les Americains – “The Americans don't understand geography.” We had better get up to speed, beginning with that square footage in DC where the power emanates, and the cables disseminate. This is not a slam at him, but I had forgotten about the existence of Prince Andrew, until his cable time exposure brought him to my attention.

Over the days as the WikiLeaks saga kept unfolding, the US diplomatic and political response ranged from ludicrous to blustery, including describing the leaker Assange as a “guy with a $35 computer,” or something like that. Unfortunately, when the official spokesman of the White House speaks, I tune out. I am sure that he must be a learned, articulate man and that the fault lies with me, for not recognizing those qualities and qualifications. It is totally my fault that he does not leave me with a sense of confidence and assurance. I am suffering with the same ailment that afflicts many of my fellow citizens who occupy the “lowland.” We just cannot seem to appreciate the wit and wisdom shooting down from Mount Olympus!

Leaker Assange’s days on this earth could be limited, based on the promises to bring him to justice, or bring “justice” to him in his hideout. What I am not hearing is the mea culpa – from the keepers of the cables. That includes those in the spacious, well-appointed offices. If a guy with a $35 computer, and a soldier whose boyfriend allegedly ditched him, so he took out his revenge on the world, could succeed in leaking all over the diplomatic world, this world is in deep “doo doo,” instead of “pee pee.”

Who are some of the other players in this diplomatic cables paso doble? This Wall Street Journal article provides answers on Iran:

In addition to training, funding and arming Shiite militias in Iraq involved in attacking U.S. interests, Gen. Soleimani has overseen economic development assistance to Iraq and the promotion of bilateral trade that reached an annual level of almost $4 billion by the end of 2009. He also oversaw the furthering of Iranian "soft power" through activities such as the renovation of Iraq's revered Shiite shrines by Revolutionary Guards-owned companies, according to several dispatches.

I am very disappointed in Iran. How could that country pursue such a policy, even after the newly elected US president, reached across borders with a hand of friendship towards Iran and all of those other alleged states that sponsor terrorism, all the while whipping the US population, those “arrogant, divisive Americans, “ into submission? That is so not cool! Hopefully Iran does not use a cable opportunity to continue its efforts, while the US is engulfed in “Cable-gate,” “Bush tax cuts extension-gate,” “Treasury printing money-gate,” and all of the other less than diplomatic quagmires.

Apparently, many of the leaders in the region with Iran, are on the side of Israel. They want those Iranian nuclear facilities for non-nuclear weapons, taken out. Of course, those desires are expressed inside the confines of the cables. The Saudis with so much oil money and so few legitimate charities to which to donate, have allegedly been very generous to the species known as Muslim terrorists. There are so many clichés that apply. Time does not allow their application. The things one learns from these cables of diplomacy!

Could it be that the leader of Libya is having the best deal of all, “a voluptuous blonde nurse”? He is toting around such a nurse and the leader of Iran is doing all of this hard work of building nuclear facilities for? The answer had momentarily escaped me. The facilities are not for nuclear weapons. The leader of Iran is giving the US the Italian salute while the building continues. I love diplomacy!

The New York Times, that bastion of freedom of the press, gives us the run down on Pakistan:

Over all, though, the cables portray deep skepticism that Pakistan will ever cooperate fully in fighting the full panoply of extremist groups. This is partly because Pakistan sees some of the strongest militant groups as insurance for the inevitable day that the United States military withdraws from Afghanistan — and Pakistan wants to exert maximum influence inside Afghanistan and against Indian intervention.

Are these cables correct? I was going along with what appears to be US foreign policy, that lots of money can buy friends, and even bigger amounts can purchase enemies. How much money has Pakistan received as an ally in the fight in the “war on terror, which morphed into the “Overseas whatever operations”? Do we now have Iran and Pakistan putting the kibosh to the money can buy anything strategy? Isn’t there another relationship approach – something about “bombing back to the stone age”? Maybe I am confused.

This Reuter's article gives a play by play account of the other world leaders “profiled” in the cables, including Putin of Russia:

Vladimir Putin rules Russia by allowing a venal elite to siphon off cash from the world's biggest energy producer, according to a picture painted by U.S. diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks.

 Again, I am shocked! Say it is not so. A “venal elite” siphoning off cash? This is beginning to sound like “déjà vu all over again!” Hopefully this type of behavior is not contagious, could be spread to the US through satellite communication, or some other form of transmission, maybe by cable? Who am I kidding? The contagion could already be here. Maybe in the interests of diplomacy, I need to replace the word “could.” I am not leaking the replacement word! I operate on a different set of values from those of journalist Assange.

 I do have lots of questions:

▪ Who benefits from Wikileaks, the “dog,” pissing all over the hydrant of US diplomacy?

▪ Who heads the US diplomatic efforts?

▪ Who is now forced out of, I mean is voluntarily making diplomacy the “last public gig”?

▪ If that head of diplomacy is no longer in the running for the highest office in the land in 2012, who benefits most from this?

▪ How could a lone “gunman” the half British, half American soldier manage to do all of this damage, by himself?

▪ Did he have assistance, in addition to that Lady Gaga CD?

▪ Would any other CD have worked as well?

▪ Who is the power behind the WikiLeaks throne?

▪ Why does America have to pay the price because this male soldier allegedly broke up with his boyfriend, and he allegedly decided to relieve himself all over those diplomatic cables?

▪ What happened to “ask not what your country can do for you?

▪ Why does it seem that saying has turned into “ask what you can do to your country”?

▪ Is someone finally going to prevent this from happening again?

▪ Are US nuclear facilities at least safer than diplomatic cables?

▪ Did I remember to use the word “allegedly” and its variations so that I do not spend more jail time than either of the two “alleged” miscreants?

Possibly, alleged Co-Leaker Manning summed up for us how the US got into this fix:

"Weak servers, weak logging, weak physical security, weak counterintelligence, inattentive signal analysis," Manning wrote. "A perfect storm."

Thanks Soldier Manning. Next time the powers that be, should have stronger servers, stronger physical security, stronger counterintelligence, and attention signal analysis, in order not to create such a “perfect storm,” of an apparently disloyal soldier, “Lady Gaga CD and a portable computer memory stick”? You traveled all the way from England, joined the US Army, broke up with, or was dumped by your boyfriend, and you broke the back of US diplomacy? I am just trying to get the broke back facts straight so that when the US Military begins allowing folks in the service because of their activities in the bedroom, it can have a smooth penetration, I mean transition. Aldous Huxley talked about his “brave new world”? He should see this one.

As for Leaker Assange, I wish him a long and prosperous life, whatever his definition of such a life is. Hopefully that is not defined for him by those upon whom he “peed.” Those “diplomatic hydrants” could turn out to be very undiplomatic – for him. Sometimes it is best to let sleeping cables, sleep. Vaya con Dios.

This just in! Leaker Assange is now lodging in Her Majesty’s prison, with the possibility of being extradited to Sweden on alleged sex charges. Two thoughts came to mind. Ironically, the day of Assange’s surrender to the British, is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day, a “day of infamy” when an enemy launched a surprise attack on the US Naval Fleet in Hawaii. Is there any comparison on the launching, so to speak, of a fleet of damaging cables by Assange? Al Capone also comes to mind – not comparing the alleged crimes of Assange and Capone, but the strategy in finally jailing Capone. With Capone, it was not the alleged murders, it was the taxes. With Assange? Time will tell and history will record.

What have I learned, as an ordinary citizen, from the leaking? I have learned that in the end, although the US is touted as the vaunted “land of liberty,” and there is still much of that liberty – we are still divided into two classes – as is much of the world. There is the ruling class, and the rest of us. The ruling class does not just consist of the political “leaders.” The supporters of the ruling class, be they in business or the press, are part of that ruling class. The rest of us? We are the burros. We are saddled up to do the heavy lifting, whether that lifting is to work and pay taxes, or breed to supply troops to the defense of the country.

My fellow burros, we had better not snooze again. Eternal vigilance is going to have to be the everlasting modus operandi of Joe and Josephine Public – if we are serious about preserving what is left of this republic. No longer can we afford the luxury of electing leaders and then “getting on with our lives,” because the political season is over. The political season is never over. We are going to have to continue peeking over the shoulders of the ruling class, while we still can. Or – we can return to snoozing.

Two Sundays ago, even before I heard about the WiklLeaks leaks, as my Pastor was preaching about the situation in which the Israelites found themselves in Biblical times, being vanquished and carted off to Babylon, I wrote on the back of the bulletin for the service: Will the US be like the Israelites and carried off to Babylon? If we do not act to preserve the legacy of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton et al, we may not be carted off to Babylon. The twenty-first century version of Babylon will set up camp here. We will be in those camps.