Ellsberg was critical of George W. Bush's administration for what he regards as its disdain for transparency, but also blames the Obama White House for continuing the cloaked practices in the war on terror. He's heartened by the recent cache of documents released by WikiLeaks on the Afghan war, though he thinks newspapers are more credible places to publish than the Internet. But he applauds the site for offering a clearer look at what the U.S. government is up to: "There should be a Pentagon Papers out ever year," he says.
There's very little apparent self-congratulation to Ellsberg. Although he was attacked by political opponents for betraying his country, Ellsberg's regret is rather that he didn't leak documents earlier — in 1964 when the conflict was still escalating.
