“We’re a nation of laws. We don’t let individuals make their own decisions about how the laws operate. He broke the law.”
So says President Obama. I'll give you 3 guesses as to the identity of the person he was speaking about
George W. Bush?.... nope
Dick Cheney?.... nope, one more try
Donald Rumsfeld.... nope sorry
and its not Colin Powell, Condaleeza Rice, Paul Wolfiwitz, Scooter Libby, Karl Rove, Ari Fleischer etc... nope, none of those people
The POTUS was talking about none other than Bradley Manning!... yep, HIM.... the guy accused of leaking classified diplomatic cables to Wikileaks.
The POTUS off the cuff comments came in response to being questioned by some attendees following a fundraiser. These remarks about pfc Bradley Manning are his most clear cut and unambiguious to date. He reveals what he truly thinks.... no trial necessary for him. Manning is GUILTY.
via firedoglake
In a discussion yesterday with Logan Price, a Bradley Manning supporter who was part of a group of activists who sang a song during the President’s San Francisco fundraiser, President Obama flatly stated that Bradley Manning “dumped” documents and that “he broke the law.” A rough transcript follows,provided by UK Friends of Bradley Manning:
OBAMA: So people can have philosophical views [about Bradley Manning] but I can’t conduct diplomacy on an open source [basis]… That’s not how the world works.
And if you’re in the military… And I have to abide by certain rules of classified information. If I were to release material I weren’t allowed to, I’d be breaking the law.
We’re a nation of laws! We don’t let individuals make their own decisions about how the laws operate. He broke the law.
[Q: Didn't he release evidence of war crimes?]
OBAMA: What he did was he dumped…
[Q: Isn't that just the same thing as what Daniel Ellsberg did?]
OBAMA: No it wasn’t the same thing. Ellsberg’s material wasn’t classified in the same way.....
not even a hint of irony.
The POTUS is right about one thing, what Ellsberg did and what Manning did are different... Ellsberg actually leaked TOP SECRET material to the press, Manning merely leaked "classified" material.
So there you have it folks.... the rule of law must be applied at all times to all people(note: rule of law does not apply to the criminally elite oligarchs)