Wikileaks SAN FRANCISCO: Former US president George W. Bush bashed WikiLeaks on Monday in a wide-ranging chat streamed live online at Facebook as part of a promotion tour for his memoir "Decision Points."
Bush touched on topics ranging from war in Iraq and relations with China to moments with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his beloved Texas baseball team being trounced by San Francisco in a recent US championship series.
The 64-year-old former US president was interviewed by Facebook's young founder Mark Zuckerberg and Bush administration attorney Ted Ullyot, now general counsel at the world's top online social networking service.
When asked his reaction to whistle-blower website WikiLeaks releasing an avalanche of diplomatic memos during the weekend, Bush condemned the move.
"Leaks are very damaging and people who leak ought to be prosecuted," Bush said. "I was frustrated to know that there are people who did not honor their agreement with the government not to talk about secrets."
Leaks that expose behind-the-scenes comments or conversations sabotage trust that is essential for national leaders to work together, he added.
"When you have a conversation with a foreign leader and it ends up in the newspapers they are not going to like it," Bush said. "I didn't like it."
Bush said he has happily avoided the spotlight since his departure from the White House but needed to step back into the public eye to promote his memoir.
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