Gibbs’ bravado towards Assange contradicts administration’s actions

On Fox and Friends Wednesday morning, Robert Gibbs, the Obama adminstration’s press secretary, appeared to be full of bravado when asked about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. “Our foreign policy and our country is stronger than one guy with one website,” said Gibbs, who then ramped up the tone. “We’re not scared of one guy with a keyboard and a laptop.” Gibbs talks big, but the administration’s actions suggest otherwise.

Gibbs told Fox and Friends, "We're not scared of one guy with a keyboard and a laptop."Attorney General Eric Holder appears to be a bit scared. The Wall Street Journal Law Blog said, “The [Washington] Post reports that Attorney General Eric Holder and the Pentagon are conducting an ‘active, ongoing criminal investigation,’ and taking a close look at charges under the Espionage Act of 1917, a law passed during WWI and the first Red Scare. Some familiar with the probe told the WaPo that the FBI is examining everyone who came into possession of the documents, including those who gave the materials to WikiLeaks.”

Interpol’s after Assange too, and in my opinion the allegations of sex crimes sound very shaky. Death and Taxes said Assange refused to use a condom at some point during consensual sex.  Alex Moore said, “If the same standards applied to Assange were applied to everyone, half the hat-backwards college underclassmen in America would be rounded up by the FBI and likely thrown into some super-secret prison, possibly never to be heard from again.”

INTERPOL announced the issue of a Red Notice—an international wanted persons alert—for Assange on Wednesday. Interpol said, “The Red Notice for the 39-year-old Australian, which was issued to law enforcement in all 188 INTERPOL member countries on 20 November, has now been made publicly available by INTERPOL following official authorization by Sweden.” No photo was published with the notice on the Interpol website.

Considering the political volume didn’t reach a feverish pitch until long after Assange released the data related to the US military, Gibbs’ statement is worth pondering.

Incidentally, if I could ask Assange one question, it would be You got anything on Bill Clinton?

Assange slammed the hammer down on US foreign policy with the release of diplomatic cables. He told Forbes he’ll spill the goods on a large bank or two next.

As all these developments played out,  Yahoo News said the Federal Reserve (finally) released information about emergency aid given to American and foreign banks during the financial meltdown.

Meanwhile, the WikiLeaks website has repeatedly been rendered inaccessible, with only select media having access to whatever’s been released. Who really knows what’s really in all those files?

Is Gibbs telling the truth about not being scared? Or is his bravado masking a little administration angst?

I know one thing. Assange is one dude with a pretty powerful laptop.

[Commentary by Kay B. Day/Dec. 1, 2010]