WikiLeaks' Real Scoop: Diplomats Doing Nice Job

Wading through the new WikiLeaks dump, James Rainey is struck more by what's not there than what it is. As in, the leaked cables don't show evidence of "unauthorized war, fraudulent procurement practices or unexpected assassination," he writes in the Los Angeles Times. Nor do they "show America forming significant alliances with sworn enemies or visiting unexpected deceit on friends."

The cables contain some embarrassments for sure, but no genuine "bombshells," at least so far. Still, readers might not get that impression given all the headlines. "All that noise has clouded a larger truth," writes Rainey—"that America's overseas diplomats appear to be doing their jobs and doing them pretty well." (More Wikileaks diplomatic cables stories.)