UPDATE part TWO to the MEMO post.

It's looking likely that the memo is false. And if it is real, then it's just the NSA doing their job. Honestly, I thought about this for awhile last night and realized that people seem to have this idealized view that diplomacy is supposed to be this polite, genteel thing. Obviously, it's not. It's supposed to get nasty, mean and ugly when it can. If it provides the desired end, then so be it. The pre-World War I diplomacy in Europe was designed to specifically isolate France. Diplomacy in the League of Nations was handicapped because the League Council required a unanomous vote. In the Cold War era, Soviets spied on the American Embassy and Americans spied on the Soviet Embassy. It happens. Calm down people. It's still annoying and makes you go "What the fuck!" but it probably happens all the time.


Update:

Read George Paine. He is a genius.