From the wonderful folks who brought you the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

What to make of the leaks?

Do you have a right to know what your government is doing in your name with your money, even if it embarrasses our nation or endangers the lives of allies or intelligence sources?

The New York Times today came down on the side of right to know by publishing portions of the quarter-million cables between 274 embassies around the world. The cables were obtained by WikiLeaks, the website that has published other sensitive and classified information.

In explaining its rationale for publishing, The Times noted it redacted certain information from the cables it was publishing and took the step tell the Obama administration what it intended to publish. The newspaper said it took the administration’s advice to further redact in some cases but not all.

A comparison of a couple of Times and WikiLeaks postings shows similar redactions. It is not clear whether WikiLeaks followed the Times’ lead.

Here is how the Times explained its decision:

“But the more important reason to publish these articles is that the cables tell the unvarnished story of how the government makes its biggest decisions, the decisions that cost the country most heavily in lives and money. They shed light on the motivations — and, in some cases, duplicity — of allies on the receiving end of American courtship and foreign aid. They illuminate the diplomacy surrounding two current wars and several countries, like Pakistan and Yemen, where American military involvement is growing. As daunting as it is to publish such material over official objections, it would be presumptuous to conclude that Americans have no right to know what is being done in their name.”

Among information gleaned from the cables is the fact Afghanistan’s vice president was carrying $52 million in cash during a visit to the United Arab Emirates. He was allowed to keep the money and no questions asked.

Also, the U.S. tried to persuade other countries to resettle Guantanamo detainees in exchange for cash to access to the administration.

The Chinese government was suspected to hacking Google’s computer systems in that country.

No great secret, Saudis are the chief financial backers of Sunni militant groups, including al Qaida.

The American people are our government. Who is to say what should be kept from us? Who do you trust?