Bradley Mannning was not a general. He was a low level clerk. He didn't have access to classified information that would matter. If the military continues down this path they will make a fool of themselves.
If Bradley Manning was able to pull the pin on the military's plans on any war front, that doesn't say much about the USA military.
The guy hated the war and everything about it. He was not alone, many military have returned to the USA stating what an insane mission they were all on. He simply didn't carry a gun into battle or deserted his post or lost his mind to PTSD. He didn't assassinate innocent Afghans in a rage. He put low level information on Wikileaks in protest of the insanity everyone else already knew existed.
The trial is another Republican Gitmo dreamscape.
The guy hated the war and everything about it. He was not alone, many military have returned to the USA stating what an insane mission they were all on. He simply didn't carry a gun into battle or deserted his post or lost his mind to PTSD. He didn't assassinate innocent Afghans in a rage. He put low level information on Wikileaks in protest of the insanity everyone else already knew existed.
The trial is another Republican Gitmo dreamscape.
By CHARLIE SAVAGE
Published: June 3, 2013
...“This is a case about a soldier (click here) who systematically harvested hundreds of thousands of classified documents and dumped them onto the Internet, into the hands of the enemy – material he knew, based on his training, would put the lives of fellow soldiers at risk,” said the prosecutor, Capt. Joe Morrow of the Army.
...“This is a case about a soldier (click here) who systematically harvested hundreds of thousands of classified documents and dumped them onto the Internet, into the hands of the enemy – material he knew, based on his training, would put the lives of fellow soldiers at risk,” said the prosecutor, Capt. Joe Morrow of the Army.
But a defense lawyer for Private Manning told the judge that his client had been “young, naïve, but good-intentioned” and that he had, in fact, tried to make sure that the several hundred thousand documents he released would not cause harm.
“He was selective,” said the defense attorney, David Coombs. “He had access to literally hundreds of millions of documents as an all-source analyst, and these were the documents that he released. And he released these documents because he was hoping to make the world a better place.”
The dueling portrayals underscored the oddity at the heart of the trial, which is expected to last as long as 12 weeks. There is no doubt that Private Manning did most of what he is accused is doing, and he has already pleaded guilty to 10 charges for that conduct, for which he could be sentenced to up to 20 years.
But his plea was not part of any deal with the government, and prosecutors are moving forward with the trial because they hope to convict him of a far more serious set of charges, including violating the Espionage Act and aiding the enemy, that could result in a life sentence.... 
