Final Wikileaks Post

I hope this doesn't disappoint you. I'm putting my posts on Wikileaks to bed, and I'm not doing it with a long, grand post that will be referenced for years to come.

Here's my final conclusion (and you'll have to read the previous posts on the topic -- especially the last one -- to know what I'm talking about): It is possible the Bradley Manning had access to all the information he leaked, and he could have acted alone. Now how I got there.

First off, notice that I'm not saying anything definitive. If I had definitive information on any of this, you can be sure that we would be posting stories about it on the "story" side. Instead, many of you have been reading what I consider my open thoughts on a current news topic. In the end, I am not saying anything definitive about this topic because I haven't been able to garner enough solid information to present.

Now, as I promised you earlier, I presented the most recent information to X and Y about Manning being able to access information and rules being different in war zones. In sum, after reviewing the information, both said it is possible for Manning to have accessed and leaked the information. To be fair, both seem to think that something else is going on here, and the story has much more to it. Fair enough. I believe X and Y are who they say they are, and I respect their intuition. But for now, I can't confirm their intuition.

Consequently, I'm not willing to posit theories I can't back up. But I will say that there are still a lot of questions that this story raises. And just because I think it's plausible Manning accessed and leaked the information on his own does mean all questions are erased. There are still questions and things that don't seem right (like X and Y insinuate).

In a show last week, Glenn covered that topic and raised some important questions:

So there you have it. No grand conspiracy theories here. But still questions. Mainly, how could this happen? What will happen next? And will powerful people use this as justification for questionable actions?

I don't know. But we'll see. I want to thank all of you who have sent me e-mails on the topic -- especially X and Y and those who have disagreed with me. Disagreement is important, and always welcomed.

Thanks for taking the journey with me.