Will WikiLeaks unravel the American 'secret government'?

[Peter Lemkin]

Medvedev 'playing Robin to Putin's Batman'

Posted 6 hours 57 minutes ago

Diplomats have used colourful and less than flattering language to describe some of the world's most powerful leaders, according to classified US cables exposed by WikiLeaks.

European leaders fared the worst among the cables written by various diplomats, but other key US allies did not escape harsh criticisms either.

The US's Moscow embassy referred to Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin as an "alpha-dog", while president Dmitry Medvedev - officially the more powerful of the pair - is "pale and hesitant" and "plays Robin to Putin's Batman".

US diplomats in Rome also raised concerns about the relationship between Mr Putin and Italian president Silvio Berlusconi, mentioning lavish gifts, energy contracts and a "shadowy" Russian-speaking Italian go-between.

The diplomats wrote that Mr Berlusconi "appears increasingly to be the mouthpiece of Putin" in Europe.

The Italian leader was also described as "feckless, vain and ineffective as a modern European leader" by US charge d'affaires in Rome, Elizabeth Dibble.

In another instance he was called "physically and politically weak" and his "frequent late nights and penchant for partying hard mean he does not get sufficient rest".

According to one dispatch, German chancellor Angela Merkel "avoids risk and is rarely creative", while the US embassy in Paris called French president Nicolas Sarkozy "an emperor with no clothes" who governs with a "thin-skinned and authoritarian personal style".

"Serious political criticisms" were raised about UK prime minister David Cameron and there are also claims of inappropriate behaviour while overseas by a yet unnamed member of the British Royal Family.

The leaks apparently reveal US president Barack Obama's disdain for Europe, saying he has "no feelings for Europe" and would "look East rather than West".

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il was called a "flabby old chap" who, as a result of his stroke, had suffered "physical and psychological trauma", according to diplomats who were quoting sources.

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was compared to Hitler by US officials, while Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe was labelled "the crazy old man" by South Africa's international relations and co-operation minister.

Libyan leader Colonel Moamar Gaddafi is "just strange", wrote an adviser to the Sultan of Oman, and he is apparently accompanied everywhere by a "voluptuous blonde" Ukrainian nurse, according to a Ukranian political officer.

Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, was called "an extremely weak man who did not listen to facts but was instead easily swayed by anyone who came to report even the most bizarre stories or plots against him", by US diplomats in Kabul.

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, fared slightly better on a personal level; being described as "elegant and charming", but never keeps his promises, according to a cable from Cairo.

To those who say the fangs [thus far] have been removed, I agree. One of the best cables I've heard about so far [containing information of N. Korea missles in Iran and NK-Iran nuclear collaboration - whether true or not] has been withheld at the 'request of the Obama Administration'. I think it is too early to assess the whole situation and about Wikileaks. Remember these were Secret cables and none were Top Secret or higher classifications [of which there are many levels] - where the real dirt would lie! Also, I find these are embarrassing enough to convince me that this is not a US based operation [Wikileaks] and I do think the anger at Assange et al. is real and they are in danger. But, I could be wrong and it could be constructed to make someone like me conclude just as I have.... One thing it shows or confirms, for sure, is just as we all thought - the world is in the hands of sociopathic political fuck-ups - only varying in degree of venality, psychopathology and lack of care for anything but their own power games by country. :motz: