Obama Commutes Bulk of Chelsea Manning’s Sentence

I've never had a really strong opinion about the Chelsea Mannings and Edward Snowdens of the world. (I feel like Manning was duped in a way because what ever good WikiLeaks set out to do has been negated by its founder, who has been revealed to be a predatory partisan hack.) But I do know Manning has been living in hell the past seven years -- so I can only applaud President Obama for showing mercy on this clearly damaged person, who will be freed in five months rather than in 2045. 

 Manning made a direct plea for a pardon from Obama recently, begging for her freedom following two suicide attempts in the past year. “I am not asking for a pardon on my conviction,” she wrote in a November statement. “I understand that the various collateral consequences of the court-martial conviction will stay on my record forever. The sole relief I am asking for is to be released from military prison after serving six years of confinement as a person who did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members.” Read HERE.

UPDATE: In his final presser, President Obama explains his reasoning HERE.