WikiLeaks.org today received a stern scolding from U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman for its massive dump of secret documents relating to the war in Afghanistan.
"The disclosure of tens of thousands of classified documents on the Afghanistan war is profoundly irresponsible and harmful to our national security,'' Lieberman said in a statement, adding that the Obama adminstration is right to condemn their release.
"Most of these documents add nothing to the public understanding of the war in Afghanistan. The materials - which cover the period from 2004 to 2009 - reflect the reality, recognized by everyone, that the insurgency was gaining momentum during these years while our coalition was losing ground,'' Lieberman said. "That is precisely why President Obama carried out a policy review in late 2009 and subsequently ordered a surge of forces to Afghanistan as part of a comprehensive civil-military counterinsurgency strategy that is now under way under the command of General Petraeus.
"We should give General Petraeus and our troops on the ground the time and support they need to succeed. Although we know that the path ahead is difficult, we also know that the consequences for our national security will be catastrophic if we abandon this effort and allow the Taliban and their allies to regain a safe haven in Afghanistan. That is the path back to 9/11."
Lieberman also questioned the political agenda of WikiLeaks, the online organization that defines its mission as disclosing unethical government and corporate behavior.
"It is also important to recognize that Wikileaks is not an objective news organization but an organization with an ideological agenda that is implacably hostile to our military and the most basic requirements of our national security,'' Lieberman said. "Americans and our allies should be wary of drawing conclusions based on materials selectively leaked by Wikileaks, as it seeks to sap support for the Afghan war among the American people and our European allies."