Not So Juicy Tidbits From Wikileaks

Just like the last data dump from Assange where we didn't learn much of anything new except to distrust his intentions, this bunch of leaks hints seemingly hints at motives and appears to be full of gossip. One wonders at all the advance concern by the fascists. It could even be more sinister. Along with unflattering references and a few smarmy details this disclosure dissemination could be more propaganda diverting peoples' attention from more important things, and could be prompting us to believe government lies. Hence the curious, apparently fake apprehension which gave interest some boost.

• The U.S. spies on the United Nations, monitoring its telecommunications and IT systems.

• Saudi Arabia is lobbying us to attack Iran. Israel is ready to go it alone in such an attack, too, presumably with tacit support from at some Arab states.

• There is 'devastating criticism' of the British military's operations in Afghanistan, but Britain is helping keep Iran policy sane.

• A British royal did something 'inappropriate.'

• The U.S. government has 'serious political criticisms of' British Prime minister David Cameron, but the two governments are 'particularly intimate' in their dealings.

• Hamed Karzai is motivated by paranoia, and by payment in cash.

• Russia's government is somewhat in bed with organized crime.

• ANC flunkies kept Nelson Mandela on a tight leash after his release.

• There is a secret standoff with Pakistan over highly enriched uranium, which the U.S. fears could be 'diverted' to build 'illicit' nuclear weapons.

• There's a plan for unifying Korea after the North collapses, and China's in on it.

• Guantanamo Bay's closure is mired in shifty cash deals with foreign governments to take prisoners. Also, the Afghan government is corrupt, plus ca change.

• Hacking! The Chinese government has owned Google, the Dalai Lama, "American businesses," and more!

• Saudi Arabia pays for the terrorism and Qatar sucks at counterterrorism.

• Our spies have learned that Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi have some kind of weird bromance going on involving 'lavish gifts' and 'lucrative energy contracts.' Silvio is essentially acting as Putin's man in the EU.

• His power in Russia is absolute, but the bureaucracy there is so epic it allows Putin to be 'ignored.'

• The U.S.is failing to prevent Syria arming Hezbollah.

• The U.S. 'warned' Germany not to arrest CIA agents who bungled a rendition and kidnapped an innocent German citizen.

• The U.S. embassy in Moscow explained the arrangements in Russia like so: Vladimir Putin is Batman and Dmitry Medvedev is Robin.

• Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini described the leaks as "the September 11th of world diplomacy."

• The Daily Mail says that the leaks include an 'unflattering assessment' of the governing coalition in the U.K. The U.S. administration holds it in low regard, says the BBC.

• The BBC also reports that Wikileaks remains down due to an ongoing denial of service attack.

• The White House has fresh condemnation of the disclosures.

• El Pais writes that the U.S. is keeping a close eye on Turkey's 'Islamist' leader Erdogan and believes he has a hidden agenda.

• Der Spiegel reports that the U.S. has an extensive network of spies in the German government that kept it up to speed on Angela Merkel's coalition negotiations. It sees an emergent worldview in the cables.

• More from El Pais: Berlusconi has wild parties, Chavez is isolated, and Gadaffi is worried about fine lines and wrinkles.

Ho hum. From Boing Boing, where many of these bullets have links

Wikileaks Is Zionist Poison