Whistleblower Pfc. Bradley Manning’s admission to leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks along with his guilty plea to several of the lesser charges he faces have dramatically changed the face of his eventual trial. Public opinion of Manning seems only to be improving with the statement, however.
After years of bizarre media reports bashing Manning and speculating that his leaks were somehow a function of his homosexuality, the long statement dealing his idealistic desire to fuel debate on America’s overseas wars perhaps may seem anti-climactic to the casual observer, but not to his backers.
“I hope people will see these quotes and realize how well-motivated he was,” noted Daniel Ellsberg, perhaps the most famous whistleblower in American history. Others praised the leaks for having uncovered US war crimes abroad, and having helped inspire the pro-democracy Arab Spring.
Naturally, Manning’s detractors don’t seem to have changed their tune, but experts are conceding that this will make the effort to prove him as a “traitor” who was “aiding the enemy” an uphill battle in the trial, now that the details are taken out of the trial and it will be centering more than ever on officials seeking harsh retribution against someone who caused many of them personal embarrassment.
ABC News
“I think it elevates him,” she said. “It takes the word ‘alleged’ out. Instead of saying ‘alleged whistleblower,’ all of a sudden he becomes the hero: He is the whistleblower. He’s proud to say that he’s the whistleblower.”
Good for him. The empire will not be happy. Can we start imagining the Judges speech at his sentencing as she admonishes him for "putting the law into his own hands" and placing our troops "in danger". Thinking he is some sort of Hero. Imagine the nerve. Like he has any right to sit in judgement of our fantastic system of government! He isn't even a judge for God's sake! Son. You agreed to be part of the system and work for global hegemony. Who are you to complain? You don't have "all the facts". Y
If prf Manning had not released the docuements , I think he still could have been charged with aiding and abetting war criminals . The poor kid could not win . Clearly some of these leaks were definatly war crimes . Crimes against humanity classified as national security maybe yet just another war crime . No question about it charges can be made . But politics is just another name for war . And wars are not a place to look for truth . Manning is a political prisoner and guilty any way you want to look at it ..
And a the while, most astonishing is the folks who actually committed the collateral murders, and other grave war crimes exposed by Manning are walking around free.