Manning was never under threat of being judged by a civilian jury. It would have been a military jury, who even if pulled from Ft. Meade would have come from al

Manning was never under threat of being judged by a civilian jury. It would have been a military jury, who even if pulled from Ft. Meade would have come from all walks of life before joining the military. Likewise I don't think this means what you think it means for future whistleblowers. He could still very well be sentenced effectively to confinement for life, after all, and the thing that saved his bacon regarding 'aiding the enemy' is that the judge added another element to the charge, which the prosecution then failed to prove. With that said, I don't think it could have gone better for Manning under a jury trial, so it certainly looks prudent from his end.