Monday 6 December 2010

The Right Word: love the leaks, hate the leaker | Sadhbh Walshe | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

The Right Word: love the leaks, hate the leaker

Rush Limbaugh calls Julian Assange 'a little wuss', but Michael Savage is furious he's not mentioned in dispatches … yet

Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh byline

Rush Limbaugh opened his show on Monday with the following (listen here):

"He's a little wuss, Julian Assange. Need to find this guy and string him up."

In the same breath, however, with barely a full stop to punctuate the thought, he says this:

Frankly, I find what's in this stuff interesting. I think it's more interesting than the news the networks come up with each and every day. Give me more of this stuff.

He goes on to point out the information we now have at our fingertips is worth its weight in gold.

Now, as I say, none of this is unknown – for example, the business that our friends, the Saudis, are paying for al-Qaida, that they're funding al-Qaida, that they offer support for al-Qaida, that they may as well be al-Qaida in some cases. Now, this is not surprising to anybody. It's just nobody has the guts to say it. Some of this stuff in these cables is actually fascinating. I want more of it. You know, this is the stuff that's true.

He was particularly bothered by the hypocrisy displayed by the Saudis when it came to their desire that the US take out Iran. 

We continue to sell $60bn of sophisticated armaments to Saudi Arabia; it's our largest such sale to anybody ever, and they're funding al-Qaida. And they're not prepared to go to war with Iran. We're selling them all this ammo and all these armaments, but they want us to go take Iran out. What kind of idiots …

So, like many of us in the media and elsewhere, Mr Limbaugh was intrigued to suddenly have real and reliable information at his fingertips.

People in the email asked: 'Why do you like these leaked cables so much, Rush?' Because they don't lie in diplomatic cables. The odds are that what we're getting here is the raw truth. People don't lie in these cables. These are not trumped up speeches, they're not written for the teleprompter. I mean this stuff is better than People magazine.

I couldn't agree more. I mean, how great is it to know what is actually going on, rather than being fed some diluted soundbite about what our government would like us to think is going on. Isn't that what democracy is all about? Our elected leaders do not get to keep secrets from us and we get to hold them accountable. It's a beautiful thing.

Yet, Limbaugh could not make peace with the fact that the individual who made much of this possible continues to roam free:

Now, the Wikileaks website is international law, so we just can't unilaterally shut the guy down, but, you know, back in the old days when men were men and countries were countries, this guy would die of lead poisoning from a bullet in the brain, and nobody would know who put it there.

Laura Ingraham

Laura Ingraham byline

Laura Ingraham was concerned that the leaked documents were damaging the Obama administration's attempts to heal our rifts with other world powers (view clip on Fox news, about 7mins in):

"I think that what we're finding out is that, once again, America is demonstrating to the world that its influence is on the wane and its … apparently, its determination to work with the world community on this is also absent."

Remember when Obama came into office, it was going to be a whole new deal. We were going to be building bridges to all these other countries and they were going to be working with us, because it wasn't my way or the highway anymore. Yet, now we find out that this guy is doing an enormous about of damage to America's interests, America's security around the world, and we basically are saying we can't do anything about it.

Later, on her radio show, she made clear that she never thought much of Obama's bridge building efforts, anyway.

Shoring up our relationships in western Europe? Shoring up our relationships with Britain and France!? Well, last time I checked, you gave DVDs to Gordon Brown that didn't work in his DVD player. Last time I checked, Michelle grabbed the Queen, touched her back, touched the person of the Queen!

But Ingraham was, at least, heartened to know that US diplomats were not above spying.

We now know Hillary Clinton is my kind of gal, because she wants to spy on people at the United Nations. That's the best thing I've heard about Hillary all day, all year, all decade. Good for her: we should be spying on these people, that's what I say. But it's not good that it's come out.

Later in the broadcast (listen here, 9mins in), she elaborates her reasons for approving of spying on the United Nations:

I say, I'm giving the Obama administration a big high five for doing that. Good. Of course, we should be doing that! We don't know what half these people are doing with their diplomatic immunity in the United States, and the more information we can find out about why they're here and if they're really here for diplomatic reason or if they're here for some other reason, prowling around New York and other areas of the country, then I say, 'fine'.

Her position on the laudability of espionage seemed to differ, however, when it came to what needed to be done about Julian Assange, the man behind the WikiLeaks.

I'm with O'Reilly on this one. I think the tone that the administration sets beyond just saying, 'well, this is unacceptable' and 'this could be harmful'. I think there's a seriousness with which the administration should take these threats and revelations that won't convey panic but will convey, I think, a sense to the world that we mean business, and if you do this to us, there will be a price to pay.

Michael Savage

Michael Savage

Over on the Savage Nation, the host was also baying for blood (listen to show here: 
 
"I believe that the vermin who runs WikiLeaks should be arrested for terrorism, should be tried for treason!"
 
He was also not satisfied with the administration's measured response.

This piece of vermin has committed a worse piece of treason! This is the biggest act of treason I have ever seen in my life! And we have a wimpy response from Eric Holder, a mealymouthed response from Hillary Clinton, and no response from the basketball player.

Still, Mr Savage couldn't help being riveted by some of the content – particularly, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia's alleged desire to insert chips into Gitmo detainees.

By the way, I agree with the king. The king turns out to be the smartest of all of them; that's why he's still a king. The reason he's the king of Saudi Arabia is that he's smarter than everybody else. Presidents may come and presidents may go. Prime ministers may come and prime ministers may go. But kings don't change. The king is smarter than all of them put together. He said put chips in the Gitmo prisoners upon release. Very interesting, that statement. I read that one. Unto itself, it's all very interesting.

But Savage's real beef with the leaked documents was not so much what they revealed as what they omitted.

Case in point: Michael Savage was banned from Britain in 2008. You say you don't want to hear about it? You're going to hear about it! How is it possible that the only member of the American media to have been banned from entering England, Michael Savage, banned by the United Kingdom government in 2008 – it was originally done, by the way, during the Bush administration, during the reign of Bush, who I criticised continuously! I am convinced it was Bush and Condeleezza Rice in consort with those in the United Kingdom. How is it possible that not one email released by these rats in WikiLeaks covers that particular incident?!

Savage should keep the faith. There are many documents yet to be released – and if the truth behind this incident is revealed, I would not be surprised if he ends up hailing Julian Assange as a hero.

• More from Sadhbh Walshe's The Right Word series

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  • ngg74

    3 December 2010 4:09PM

    Sadhbh Walshe

    I usually find your articles to have an unpleaseant vein of snarkiness to them.

    But this was ok, unless I missed something.

    Keep up the good work.

  • sillylittleman

    3 December 2010 4:13PM

    Rush Limgaugh is a fascist terrorist and a violent criminal who should face life imprisoment for inciting murder. So are the other vermin who are inciting the murder of Assange.

    Violent, evil criminal scum. The Taliban with access to nukes. Civilised people need to defend themselves against these people.

  • SixBobBit

    3 December 2010 4:13PM

    To paraphrase the obnoxious Mr L :-

    "He's a fat wuss, Rush Limbaugh. Need to find this guy and then find a chain strong enough to haul his great fat ass up."

  • Triffid100

    3 December 2010 4:13PM

    Rush Limbaugh opened his show on Monday with the following (listen here

    )

    Really. No article should ever start with those words.
    Give us a break.

    I doubt a single person read beyond it.

  • agreewith

    3 December 2010 4:15PM

    I would not be surprised if he ends up hailing Julian Assange as a hero.


    If he did then he would be missing the point (oncemore) as Julian Assange said today the young US soldier accused of leaking the diplomatic cables as "an unparalleled hero"

  • RogerINtheUSA

    3 December 2010 4:15PM

    Of course the right-wingers love this. It's an opportunity to criticise Obama.

    The ultimate effect of the Wikileaks may be to put a Republican in the White House again.

    Google blowback

  • shalone

    3 December 2010 4:15PM

    Enough has been written and discussed on this subject. We know we do not tell the boss what we think about him, but blabber is in his absence. As a superpower US is showing how it treat the other world as dwarfs..

  • Strummered

    3 December 2010 4:16PM

    I thought that the Right hated big government and secrets? Does this spoil their conspiracy theories, or will it become another? I expect the latter. There is just no reasoning with people who permanently wear an invisible tin foil hat.

  • basetwo

    3 December 2010 4:18PM

    Wikileaks is doing a wonderful job as can be clearly seen every day and night on US television with their childish petulant attempt at character assassination.

    Corruption and back stabbing is all part and parcel of the US foreign relations and the soldier who released the documents should be given a purple heart or Victoria cross but what he'll get is torture and solitary confinement.

  • footienut

    3 December 2010 4:19PM

    I really do wonder why it is that the Guardian devotes a whole segment (everyday, from what I can make out) to a television station and radio shock jock which (a) you don't get in the UK unless you really go out of your way, and (b) are just pure shite.

    We all know that Fox news is bollocks, that O'Reilly, Beck and co are fascistic nutters who will do anything to appeal to the lowest common denominator - now please can we get on to reporting the important stuff in the world like how the blazes did Qatar get to host the world cup.

  • basetwo

    3 December 2010 4:23PM

    @RogerINtheUSA ,

    It doesn't matter to most of the world who is in the White House, in fact it doesn't matter to most Americans since the President is a bought and paid for puppet.

  • taem

    3 December 2010 4:26PM

    ngg74
    3 December 2010 4:09PM

    I usually find your articles to have an unpleaseant vein of snarkiness to them.

    But this was ok, unless I missed something.

    Keep up the good work.

    Nice back-hander, there. By all means, don't ever just pat someone on the back. Give the knife a little twist as well.

  • ngg74

    3 December 2010 4:32PM

    taem

    Nice back-hander, there. By all means, don't ever just pat someone on the back. Give the knife a little twist as well.

    Thank you. I am learning from the best backstabbing rabble of all, CIF members.

  • vaessen

    3 December 2010 4:44PM

    Well, Limbaugh, The best thing in new-journalism should be to just blatantly ignore some individuals. Why would one cover sheer stupidity? What's the point? Limbaugh has shown again and again he is nothing more than extremist like any other. Stop covering these ***holes.

  • BeauregardJackson

    3 December 2010 4:47PM

    While serving in the military, I came across a highly sensitive memo concerning a recent development in the Middle East. Frankly, I was shocked, almost breathless as I read it. The information, while immensely fascinating, should never have seen the light of day. In fact, it was mistakenly left lying about.

    My point in this is simple; even though the information was very interesting, that does not discount the fact that it should have remained locked away and unavailable to all but those with the absolute highest clearance.

    Just because Rush says the information in the cables is interesting, does not mean he, therefore, condones it`s release.

  • CJUnderwood

    3 December 2010 4:59PM

    Whatever Mr. Assange is reputed to be by people who are little more than internet trolls who happen to be famous political personalities, his site has done more to further the cause of truth than the efforts of every journalist and so-called commentator combined.

    Far from being hounded and punished, this man and those who help run the site should be given every highest honour possible.

  • Contributor
    SadhbhWalshe

    3 December 2010 4:59PM

    @beauregardjackson

    Can't block quote for some reason but regarding your comment that rush limbaugh does not necessarily condone the release of the cables, a fair enough point but he does say numerous times in the broadcast 'i want more of this stuff' 'this stuff is the truth' etc etc. So he does seem to like having the information.

  • LakerFan

    3 December 2010 5:01PM

    sillylittleman
    3 December 2010 4:13PM

    Rush Limgaugh is a fascist terrorist and a violent criminal who should face life imprisoment for inciting murder. So are the other vermin who are inciting the murder of Assange.

    Violent, evil criminal scum. The Taliban with access to nukes. Civilised people need to defend themselves against these people.

    Seen fascism raise its uncivilized head before, have we?

    History repeats. Civilization is being challenged by militant, destructive fascism once again. Americans are duly concerned about the direction of their own country, when it was they who helped the UK face down the Blitzkrieg. Go figure.

    IMO, the bottom line (pun intended) in the Wikileaks affair is that the Emeprors have been caught out of doors in their underwear and no attempt at cover up is going to improve the situation. Calling for the death of The Messenger does not kill the message. It further illustrates the embarrassing barbarity of the Emperors.

    Rhetorical Q: what would Emperor Caligula have done?

  • Contributor
    samuelpalin

    3 December 2010 5:07PM

    Thanks for the roundup Sadhbh - I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Savage's comments on why kings stick around are particularly irksome.

    Roger in the USA

    Of course the right-wingers love this. It's an opportunity to criticise Obama.

    The ultimate effect of the Wikileaks may be to put a Republican in the White House again.


    I think a Republican is probably going to be in the White House again with or without Wikileaks.

    And whilst some right-wingers may love the leaks, they have given mixed ammo against Obama - they've had to admit grudging praise for his spying on the UN, for example.

  • spectreovereurope

    3 December 2010 5:08PM

    BeauregardJackson

    While serving in the military, I came across a highly sensitive memo concerning a recent development in the Middle East. Frankly, I was shocked, almost breathless as I read it. The information, while immensely fascinating, should never have seen the light of day. In fact, it was mistakenly left lying about.

    So what were the contents of the memo? Al-Qaeda are on the CIA payroll? I can imagine that would surprise you.

  • LakerFan

    3 December 2010 5:08PM

    Rhetorical answer: The Guardian poll shows that 87% of respondents would NOT try Assange for espionage.

    Even Emperor Caligula's Horse would be hard-pressed to file charges.

    :-)

  • cbarr

    3 December 2010 5:08PM

    The UK can't actually extradite him we don't extradite to death and what the yanks are suggesting would mean that. We also can't hand him over to someone who may then hand him on to face the death penalty. I hope our government seeks criminal proceedings against those suggesting committing a murder here in the UK.

  • MBDifani

    3 December 2010 5:13PM

    Of course all of these right wingnuts are furious that they have not been mentioned--like the old saying, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about! The guy I think is headed for prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, is the gay Pfc Manning, who was busted from Sp4 for going AWOL, I think. He is sitting in a Quantico Md. jail....he could get 52 yrs. Thank God the CIA was not on SIPRNet so that Assange and his cohorts did not have access to the agency's anti-Taliban drone program...By the way, Pres. Obama has ordered the killing of far more terrorists than Dubya did in 8 long years. Check it out. Obama will be re-elected, folks.

  • mintaka

    3 December 2010 5:19PM

    Last time I checked, Michelle grabbed the Queen, touched her back, touched the person of the Queen!

    The US, quite sensibly, got rid of royalty two centuries ago. So, why the over-the-top obsequiousness when it comes to royalty? Or is it that Laura Ingraham doesn't appreciate people who used to be the help not so long ago getting above their station?

  • ngg74

    3 December 2010 5:26PM

    Sadhbh Walshe

    Since I now know you read the comments I would miss a trick if I didn'y ask you a question.

    I understand you offer your article from a left wing point of view. But as a reasonable person are you not appaled at the misimformation written about conservative speakers? And dont you want to correct the record?

    People have accused Beck of being an anti semite. Though he may be a disjointed fellow he is, if anything a Zionist.

    The other comments referring to O'Rielly as a madam, etc, when he is a very well educated media machine.

    And is the vile words from the likes of Ed Schultz and Mike Malloy not eclipse anything the right says?


    Cheers


    N

    Dont you want to set the record straight?

  • shexmus

    3 December 2010 5:31PM

    "I believe that the vermin who runs WikiLeaks should be arrested for terrorism, should be tried for treason!"

    Feel free to do so after you grant him US citizenship!

  • mintaka

    3 December 2010 5:38PM

    ngg74

    It is possible to be anti-Semitic and a Zionist. If anything, Zionism was the result of Europeans deciding they didn't want Jews as their neighbours and would rather ship them off to one of their imperial provinces. The idea that the people living in those provinces might have an opinion about this arrangement doesn't seem to have occurred to anybody.

  • Contributor
    SadhbhWalshe

    3 December 2010 5:44PM

    @ngg74

    Regarding setting the record straight about how these people are labeled, I don't think I'm the best person to do that. I don't know that much about them other than what I hear them say and their words speak for themselves I think.

  • wacobloke

    3 December 2010 5:45PM

    I have long thought Limbaugh a bully and a immoral blowhard--but one, like Beck, who knows that no one ever went broke playing to the lowest common denominators in the American psyche, or in America's class-resentment warriors or in the self-styled "US Christian victims".

    I have, on the other hand, never thought of him as being either overtly stupid or so burdened by shear ignorance, or a form of ignorance borne out of a lack of real world experience, that the ignorance creates the same result as overt stupidity .

    That is,until I read this:

    "'Why do you like these leaked cables so much, Rush?' Because they don't lie in diplomatic cables. The odds are that what we're getting here is the raw truth."

    I mean, now, REALLY Rush?

    And internal memos within big corporations are also always truthful, too, and without spin or motivations that are other than pristine pure?

  • LakerFan

    3 December 2010 5:46PM

    The right wingers really have their collectively-starched knickers in a wad over all this.

    It's probably a good time to buy Fruit of the Loom, Inc. stock as less than one percent of the leaks have been published. There is much panty-wadding and gnashing of elastic to come.

    The pen (or its corollary, the PC) is truly mightier than the sword.

    Will the right wingers be motivated to burn piles of PCs rather than books this time around?

  • robi

    3 December 2010 5:48PM

    @ngg74

    WIthout intending to be offensive to Zionists (you can't choose the people who agree with you) it is perfectly possible to be anti-semitic and a Zionist. Hitler was a Zionist... he originally called for the Jews to have a home in Madgascar then backed the move for a state of Israel (he then asked the other countries in Europe to accept the German Jews). You can be a terrible anti-semite and still a Zionist if you believe that the Jews should have their own home and get out of yours (and if you hold stereotypical beliefs about Jews, and Beck does and Nixon did).

    The other comments referring to O'Rielly as a madam, etc, when he is a very well educated media machine

    Sorry, but I started laughing at this. O'Reilly 'well-educated'? Try reading Al Franken's 'lies and the lying liars who tell them'.

  • secondtimeround

    3 December 2010 5:59PM

    Rush Limbaugh cannot make up his mind. On the one hand he wants to eliminate the messanger but is totally fascinated by "the truth" of the message. Well it seems you can't have one without the other. Talk about killing the goose that lays the golden egg.............. Now imagine if this information was drip fed to Rush Limbaugh who in turn put it out there for the general public to peruse, then by his own logic he himself should be eliminated.

  • crankyank

    3 December 2010 6:01PM

    I say "congratulations" to Barack Obama for feeding the WikiLeaks cables to Julian Assange while keeping his own hands apparently clean. The leaks accomplish Obama's goal of denigrating the standing and reputation of the US while leaving him personally in the clear. Well done, Barack!

  • thea1mighty

    3 December 2010 6:04PM

    I say "congratulations" to Barack Obama for feeding the WikiLeaks cables to Julian Assange while keeping his own hands apparently clean. The leaks accomplish Obama's goal of denigrating the standing and reputation of the US while leaving him personally in the clear. Well done, Barack!

    [Citation required]

    crank by name, crank by nature ?

  • thea1mighty

    3 December 2010 6:10PM

    Speaking of Satan, I was watching Rush Limbaugh the other day. Doesn't Rush Limbaugh remind you of one of those gay guys that like to lie in a tub while other guys pee on him?

    bill hicks quote from 1993

  • LakerFan

    3 December 2010 6:13PM

    crankyank
    3 December 2010 6:01PM

    I say "congratulations" to Barack Obama for feeding the WikiLeaks cables to Julian Assange while keeping his own hands apparently clean. The leaks accomplish Obama's goal of denigrating the standing and reputation of the US while leaving him personally in the clear. Well done, Barack!

    Yes-- you'll notice that The President carefully excluded any mention of UFOs, Sasquatch, and excess Vermouth, which can ruin any Martini and large country.

    The Right Wing is still upset that there's a Black Man in the White House-- and it drives them CRAYZEEEE with racism. They will defeat the Laws of Thermodynamics and twist logic faster than the speed of light to find anything that will denigrate the Black Man in the White House.

  • RogerINtheUSA

    3 December 2010 6:17PM

    thea1mighty

    3 December 2010 6:10PM

    Speaking of Satan, I was watching Rush Limbaugh the other day. Doesn't Rush Limbaugh remind you of one of those gay guys that like to lie in a tub while other guys pee on him?


    google image to find photos of his ott rococco apartment. it's adorable

  • RogerINtheUSA

    3 December 2010 6:18PM

    crankyank

    3 December 2010 6:01PM

    I say "congratulations" to Barack Obama for feeding the WikiLeaks cables to Julian Assange while keeping his own hands apparently clean. The leaks accomplish Obama's goal of denigrating the standing and reputation of the US while leaving him personally in the clear. Well done, Barack!

    QED

  • RogerINtheUSA

    3 December 2010 6:22PM

    *
    basetwo

    3 December 2010 4:23PM

    @RogerINtheUSA ,

    It doesn't matter to most of the world who is in the White House, in fact it doesn't matter to most Americans since the President is a bought and paid for puppet.
    *

    sounds like tin foil hat time

    who do you think bought and paid for him?

  • ngg74

    3 December 2010 6:25PM

    This comment has been removed by a moderator. Replies may also be deleted.

  • MartynInEurope

    3 December 2010 6:47PM

    RogerINtheUSA:

    3 December 2010 6:22PM

    *

    basetwo

    3 December 2010 4:23PM

    @RogerINtheUSA ,

    It doesn't matter to most of the world who is in the White House, in fact it doesn't matter to most Americans since the President is a bought and paid for puppet.
    *

    sounds like tin foil hat time

    who do you think bought and paid for him?

    Moses! Natch.

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via guardian.co.uk

"So, like many of us in the media and elsewhere, Mr Limbaugh was intrigued to suddenly have real and reliable information at his fingertips.

People in the email asked: 'Why do you like these leaked cables so much, Rush?' Because they don't lie in diplomatic cables. The odds are that what we're getting here is the raw truth. People don't lie in these cables. These are not trumped up speeches, they're not written for the teleprompter. I mean this stuff is better than People magazine.

I couldn't agree more. I mean, how great is it to know what is actually going on, rather than being fed some diluted soundbite about what our government would like us to think is going on. Isn't that what democracy is all about? Our elected leaders do not get to keep secrets from us and we get to hold them accountable. It's a beautiful thing.

Yet, Limbaugh could not make peace with the fact that the individual who made much of this possible continues to roam free:"

Good article Sadhbh Walshe cheers for that wisdom

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