Must the government take every possible ounce of flesh from Pfc.
Bradley Manning in punishing him for his massive data dump to WikiLeaks?
The woeful answer is yes.
Today, the military judge in Manning’s trial decided not to drop
the most serious—and least supportable—charge against him, “aiding the
enemy.” The government shouldn’t have brought this charge in the first
place. Whatever you think of Manning, it sets a terrible precedent for
whistle-blowers. And the only gain is the possibility of a life sentence
for a 25-year-old who has already pled guilty to charges that could put
him in prison for 20 years. This is about revenge, not justice.
-- Emily Bazelon, "This Is Vengeance, Not Justice" (Slate).