"Mr Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorised release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network," Mr Rudd told Reuters in an interview. 'PM in exile' ... Kevin Rudd. Credit:Paul Harris "The Americans are responsible for that," he said. Yesterday, Mr Rudd said in response to a journalist's question about what governments should do in response to the leaked diplomatic cables: ''Rule No.1 for our friends in the United States is - how do you tighten things up a bit? ''I think that's a fair old question. Maybe 2 million or so people having access to this stuff is a bit of a problem,'' he said, alluding to the fact that many US government officials had access to the classified material.

Mr Rudd earlier shrugged off claims he is an abrasive, impulsive "control freak", and has offered support to the founder of the website that leaked the comments by diplomats. Mr Rudd said today the criticism of him in US diplomatic cables being a "control freak" was like "water off a duck's back". "I don't, frankly, give a damn about this sort of thing. You just get on with it," he told the Seven Network. Prime Minister Julia Gillard today defended the man she toppled to take leadership of the country, saying Mr Rudd was doing a "fantastic job" in foreign affairs. "Kevin Rudd is a man who throughout his adult life has devoted himself to expertise in foreign policy," she told reporters in Melbourne.

"He's bringing that expertise to bear for the Australian nation and doing an absolutely first-class job." Detailed messages, sent by the US embassy in Canberra over several years and obtained by WikiLeaks, show US officials viewed Mr Rudd as a "control freak" while he was prime minister. US officials criticised his foreign relations performance for being focused on media-driven photo opportunities and for making snap announcements without consulting other countries. He was seen as making various "missteps" and "significant blunders" for micro-managing and once in 2008 demanded a meeting with US president George Bush only to cancel two days later. Ms Gillard expressed her full confidence in Mr Rudd and said it would be foolish to form a view of someone from published criticisms. Instead, she said she was focused on outcomes.

In June, Ms Gillard made similar comments in the days before she ousted Mr Rudd as prime minister. "The thing that matters is not what's in the pages of the daily newspapers but a focus on making a difference," she said less than two weeks before her successful leadership bid The cables have revealed embarrassing details in foreign affairs, but several government members said on Wednesday they would not damage US-Australia relations, which remained strong. Ms Gillard, however, has continued to tone down her language in describing the WikiLeaks website and its editor-in-chief Julian Assange. She initially called the website "illegal" but later said the "foundation stone" of the issue was the illegal leaking of confidential documents.

Loading Today, she said the publication of the embassy cables was "grossly irresponsible". Reuters and AAP