It is simply not possible to comprehend that the one-page War Logs detail that the Guardian UK pulled from Wikileaks’ files is only from one day. It’s especially pivotal when you look at the October 17, 2006 timeline in list form — and then you see the jaw-dropping Interactive Map Timeline where you just sit there, and watch the day unfold on an interactive Google Map. I can’t urge you to see what Guardian has done with this application strongly enough; never has something so brutal been presented so viscerally and yet without sensationalism, horror or crassness. (The NYT did a not-so-interactive-but-they-call-it-interactive map of December 20, 2006, and it doesn’t compare with the Guardian’s presentation.)
While many are polarized about how they feel regarding Wikileaks, and the war logs, the scope and implication of what’s been shown is astounding. It’s especially troubling to read the Defense Department’s response in light of new information that reveals details which support and could help rescue and bring home the local (Berkeley) hikers who were kidnapped and are still being held.