Opinion

President should heed own words on Bradley Manning On the Treatment of Bradley Manning

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 14: Code Pink for Peace demonstrator Tighe Barry chants in front of the U.S. State Department to protest the resignation of State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley and the detention of U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning March 14, 2011 in Washington, DC. Two days after saying the treatment of accused WikiLeaker Bradley Manning was "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid," Crowley resigned. The demonstrators stripped their clothing off to protest against the treatment of Manning, who has been allegedly held naked in a Marine Corps base in Virginia after being accused of leaking information to the Wikileaks website. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** less WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 14: Code Pink for Peace demonstrator Tighe Barry chants in front of the U.S. State Department to protest the resignation of State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley and the detention of ... more Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close President should heed own words on Bradley Manning 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

P.J. Crowley, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, gave a direct answer to a media question about the White House's treatment of Bradley Manning. He called it "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."

The truth hurts.

In short order, Crowley was out of a job. And the nation was reminded that the Obama administration is treating Manning, an Army private who is suspected of giving information to Wikileaks, like an enemy combatant.

Manning is being confined to his cell at the Quantico Marine base in Virginia for 23 hours a day. He's been denied sleep, exercise, bedsheets, and until very recently, bedclothes. He isn't on suicide watch, so it's hard to escape the feeling that these measures are intended to punish Manning before he's even had a trial.

President Obama made things worse by insisting that Manning's treatment was "legal." In the past decade this country has insisted that many horrible imprisonment procedures were legal. Obama campaigned on the promise that just because some things were "legal" didn't mean that they were right.

He should heed his own words on the Manning case.