Klobuchar Calls For Tough Punishment Over WikiLeaks
By Adam Thomas, NewsRadio 830 WCCO
ST. PAUL (WCCO/AP) -- Thousands of sensitive government documents are now online for the world to see and a Minnesota politician is calling for a tough punishment.
The release of the hundreds of thousands of State Department documents has had explosive consequences, prompting governments around the world to ask whether the United States could be trusted.
"It really tears at the fabric of our government," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar on WCCO Radio.
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The documents, released on the WikiLeaks website, cover diplomatic relationships with governments around the world.
"I do think that we should explore ways to basically make them take this information off the site," Klobuchar said.
World governments are responding. Israel's government is using a memo that says King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia pushed for an attack on Iran as proof that even the Arab world views Iran as a threat.
Another diplomatic cable describes French President Nicolas Sarkozy as "thin-skinned and authoritarian." Afghan President Hamid Karzai is referred to as "an extremely weak man."
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is insisting he only throws elegant, dignified soirees at his villas and not wild parties as reportedly described by a Rome-based U.S. diplomat in another memo.
Private Bradley Manning is awaiting trial on charges he leaked information to WikiLeaks. He served in Iraq analyzing intelligence data and was arrested in May.
"A lot of people believe he could get a prison term for the rest of his life and I think that would be appropriate," Klobuchar said.
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