Originally posted on 07/31/2013:
rubbish. I watched Senator Peter King from NY yesterday and he said it well. He rightfully called him a traitor and that has nothing to do with his being gay or the fact that he was picked on all his life or him being a social misfit or anything else. He took classified info and sent them to someone knowing that what he was doing was against the law. He did it anyways. Much like what a spy does. Case closed.
Anyway, King said that because of what he did, there were many potential operatives the US were trying to recruit in highly sensitive areas, in the Middle East especially, that now refused to work with the US for fear of their identities being disclosed. People who were willing to risk their lives to protect you and traitors like Manning.
Manning did put American lives at risk which makes him a traitor in every sense of the word. I hope he rots in jail despite what the alleged rapist Assange and others say. Manning might actually find true love in the joint so there could be a silver lining for traitor sympathizers.