Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks leaker, is either a traitor or a patriot, depending on who is doing the judging. If he did what authorities claim he did, he most certainly broke some serious laws, and for that, there should be consequences.
Regardless of his guilt or innocence, the seriousness of his actions, or whatever, one thing is clear: No American should be stashed away in the brig, under questionable conditions and treatment, without a timely day in court. And perhaps even more importantly, a government spokesman like P.J. Crowley who tells the truth, or even his own observation about what the government is doing, shouldn't be the one to 'take the fall' for yet another embarrassing example of federal arrogance.
The truth can be painful. P.J. spoke the truth, and now he is out of a job. And the President, well, he says he will look into Manning's treatment. Of course, that means asking the people holding him if they are doing so appropriately. Wonder what answer he will get?
We have a judicial system that works pretty well if we actually use it and make sure all have access to it. This case is no exception. If the facts and the evidence can't stand the light of day, then we have a much bigger problem than WikiLeaks.