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It is a poll of Americans, so it is best not to put too much stock into it. A comedian once said that in America giving uninformed people two options isn't a poll it's an election. So if Americans do not bother to learn the details and merits when comes to an election before they vote you can count even less effort on a passing political story.
But the impulse here is still very wrong and worrying about the temperamental nature of the American people. A new poll by Zogby reports that 77% of Americans consider Wikileaks to be a national threat to American security.
Roughly the same number believe that the release may endanger lives of U.S. military personnel. This is unfounded. The Pentagon initially made this claim with regards to another previous Wikileaks leak but had to redact its statement when it was clear that not only have no U.S. officials been endangered by Wikileaks but that the U.S. government has not even had to take any special security precautions in response to Wikileaks.
One good bit of news: 73% agree that much of U.S. classification is mean to keep the government from public embarrassment. It is best not to read too much into, but at least some Americans recognize the state secrecy is often not about stated security but solely so that American officials can operate in the dark with regards to matter they'd have a hard time to justifying to the American people in public. Which is not how a democracy is supposed to work.
Unfortunately, 63% agree that the media should not publish Wikileaks material. And more bad news: 52% consider Wikileaks to be a terrorist organization and should be dealt with accordingly. Even with margin of error half the American public believe Wikileaks to be a terrorist group per Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich that founder Julian Assange is a Bin Ladinate and should be the victim of a drone missile attack without due process, of course. Whatever you may think of the merits of Wikileaks and its cause and efforts and releases, but a terrorist group? Do these people even know what a necessary condition for terrorism is? Or after 9/11 is anything objected to by the U.S. government automatically a terrorist group?
Only 31% rightly believe that the U.S. government is exaggerating the "threat" from Wikileaks. The smartest one-third of the nation!
