Are the WikiLeaks.org Afghanistan logs the equivalent of the Pentagon Papers?
On their face, no. The Pentagon Papers were sensational because, among other things, they showed the LBJ administration had lied about things in Vietnam. The roughly 92,000 pages of Afghan War documents released by WikiLeaks don't implicate either presidents Bush or Obama. And, as this blogger says, there isn't a whole lot of news in them. Haven't we all known the Pakistanis were conflicted and, to some degree, two-faced? Are we surprised the Taliban has acquired surface-to-air missiles?
But how the documents will play in the public arena — that's a different question. I doubt many in Congress will read through them. They may, however, use them to drive home their constituents' mounting concerns about a war that seems to be going nowhere against an enemy that seems to be getting stronger.
This New York Times story details how the leaks are adding pressure to the White House. The administration is stressing the connections between 9/11 and Afghanistan and how the war is matter of national security. "That's why we're there, and that's why we're going to continue to make progress on this relationship," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Time will tell whether these leaks hinder the administration from expanding the war effort. But as long as these documents don't compromise military operations (and that remains up for debate), I think it's important for the nation to have an informed debate on the war and how, if at all, it can be won.
What do you think?