It's not unprecedented at all. People know people. You just call up some mid-level or senior PayPal rep, if you know one - and I know plenty of people who do. If there's a media shitstorm brewing, PayPal will also be responsive - it's business 101. PayPal have no interest in blocking Wikileaks, they're just caught up in their own bureaucracy and fraud protection measures.

It's not unprecedented. One example: http://www.hackersforcharity.org/259/paypal-shuts-us-down/ and http://www.hackersforcharity.org/265/paypal-makes-good/