Sarah Palin Asks Valid Questions About WikiLeaks and US Security

I am glad I am not the only one questioning the United States claimed source of the leaks. How is it an E-3 Private First Class in the United States Army had so much clearance that he was allowed to steal hundreds of thousands of classified documents and hide them as Lady Gaga music? Why would the United States Army even allow any potential media into a highly classified area knowing that information could be easily smuggled from top secret computers to the outside world. I have my doubts about what we are being told in terms of how this information left secure federal computers and wound up in the hands of WikiLeaks. Apparently, Sarah Palin does too.

She issued the following statement asking the very same question. Now remember, this is a woman who many don't think is smart enough to be President, but she apparently is smart enough to know when she is being lied to. That's a good quality for any leader. Here's her statement:

First and foremost, what steps were taken to stop Wikileaks director Julian Assange from distributing this highly sensitive classified material especially after he had already published material not once but twice in the previous months? Assange is not a “journalist,” any more than the “editor” of al Qaeda’s new English-language magazine Inspire is a “journalist.” He is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands. His past posting of classified documents revealed the identity of more than 100 Afghan sources to the Taliban. Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?

What if any diplomatic pressure was brought to bear on NATO, EU, and other allies to disrupt Wikileaks’ technical infrastructure? Did we use all the cyber tools at our disposal to permanently dismantle Wikileaks? Were individuals working for Wikileaks on these document leaks investigated? Shouldn’t they at least have had their financial assets frozen just as we do to individuals who provide material support for terrorist organizations?

Most importantly, serious questions must also be asked of the U.S. intelligence system. How was it possible that a 22-year-old Private First Class could get unrestricted access to so much highly sensitive information? And how was it possible that he could copy and distribute these files without anyone noticing that security was compromised?

The White House has now issued orders to federal departments and agencies asking them to take immediate steps to ensure that no more leaks like this happen again. It’s of course important that we do all we can to prevent similar massive document leaks in the future. But why did the White House not publish these orders after the first leak back in July? What explains this strange lack of urgency on their part?

We are at war. American soldiers are in Afghanistan fighting to protect our freedoms. They are serious about keeping America safe. It would be great if they could count on their government being equally serious about that vital task.

- Sarah Palin

I guess the real question is, is the 22 year old E-3 a patsy for a much larger problem?