The world is once again anticipating a massive leak of classified documents by WikiLeaks. The U.S. State Department is so concerned that it has published a letter addressed to the head of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and his attorney, arguing that publication of the documents will “risk the lives of countless innocent individuals,” “[p]lace at risk on-going military operations,” and “[p]lace at risk on-going cooperation between countries.” The letter is signed by Harold Koh, a far left lawyer who serves as legal adviser to the State Department.

Whereas the Defense Department has led the way in objecting to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents in the past, the State Department is out in front this time for a good reason. According to press reports, the latest cache includes approximately 250,000 diplomatic cables. As in the past, the documents have been leaked to mostly friendly news organizations so they can review and report on them – and cherry pick from them, too.