I wouldn't have been stupid enough to pound a man's ass on base....even if I was, I would have ended up with a blue discharge and likely would have moved to San Francisco to wait tables or shine shoes. No matter what in life, I always have a game plan.
Yes, Manning had a right to defend the Constitution but he was also a military soldier and he was trusted with sensitive information. Rather than going through the proper channels...even contacting an attorney, he gave all the information to internet trolls. That material was used to recruit more people to ISIS.
As far as his sentence is concerned, it was harsh but he pleaded guilty to 10 of the charges because he knew he fucked up. His treatment in prison has been unreasonable and can be considered torture but he is still in the right place. His accommodations should be upgraded to a regular military prisoner but it doesn't disqualify his incarceration.
I don't have access to everything Manning leaked, but from what I've seen, his material documents extraordinary abuse and misconduct by the United States and its agents. Yes, such material may be damaging but that does not mean it ought to be hidden. Perhaps he leaked more, and that material was extraordinarily sensitive and damaging, but I doubt it.
Again, the material Petraeus wrote down in notebooks during his time in Iraq (dates of operations, places, results of meetings and long-term strategic goals) and which he kept at his home (not a facility authorized for the storage of classified documents) appear to me far more sensitive. He made all that and more available to a woman who was writing his biography and sucking his dick.
Motive matters: Manning was, apparently, motivated by a desire to expose misconduct. Petraeus was, apparently, motivated by a desire to have his ego and his dick stroked.
And, as is typical, Petraeus got away practically scot-free because he's important and licked the rectum of every politicians and Administration official he could get his tongue on. Washington folks are into that kind of thing. And so, a Judge deemed Petraeus being exposed and having articles written about him was punishment enough, gave him probation, a token fine and told him to go on his merry way. He wasn't even reduced one step in rank!
Manning, who knew nobody and pled guilty, received no leniency but, instead a sentence enhancement.
When Petraeus plays golf or talks with his politician buddies, Manning is in isolation, eating prison food.
The world is Petraeus' oyster. What will he do next? Be a politician? A private analyst? A public speaker? Who knows... but things are looking good.
A cell is Manning's world. He knows what he'll do next: spend more time in isolation, being treated like a subhuman, until the times comes for another suicide attempt.
So, given all this, you will forgive me if I see absolutely nothing wrong with granting Manning clemency.
