Politics

Impact of Leaked WikiLeaks Docs Still Uncertain

By Christine Delargy

July 26, 2010 / 6:47 PM EDT / CBS News

The microscope of the American public focused even more on Afghanistan today after WikiLeaks, a website that publishes sensitive government documents, released 90,000 American reports from on the war there. The documents shed an even darker light on American efforts in Afghanistan, and were unique because they were raw reports, not polished memos. The amount of the reports is vast, but what remains to be seen is whether or not their substance will be a game changer.

"Like the rest of us, the U.S. government hasn't had time to read all 90,000 documents since they were posted on the web just last night," CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin said on today's "Washington Unplugged." "There's still a damage assessment going on to see if any real secrets were compromised or if this is basically reporting that was classified at the time but now the passage of time has made it not so sensitive."

According to Martin, what we do know is the reports detailed just "how ugly war is." Many of the 90,000 documents relay information about civilian casualties that happen all the time, but never make the news because the story is simply not of national interest.

CBS News Chief National Security analyst Juan Zarate, who was also on Washington Unplugged today along with host John Dickerson, wasn't sure what impact the reports would have either, but said they might force Afghan and Pakistani authorities to question the trustworthiness of the U.S.

According to Zarate, there is "no doubt" that there are discussions going on in Afghanistan and Pakistan now as to whether they can rely on the U.S. as "trusted long-term partners." That's not good news for the U.S, he said.

"I think there's damage control across the board here," Zarate said. "I think we're going to see ripple effects of these leaks over time unfortunately."

Watch the full show above.

More on WikiLeaks:

WikiLeaks Documents: White House Tries to Kill the Messenger
U.S. Assesses Impact of WikiLeaks Release
After WikiLeaks Release, White House Says There Is "No Blank Check" For Pakistan
Did Wikileaks Leaker Access Top Secret "Intelpedia?"
WikiLeaks Reveals Grim Afghan War Realities

"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics Webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 2 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.