From Obscurity, Manning Became Polarizing Symbol The honors and accolades proliferated over three years: international peace prizes, solidarity campaigns by celebrities, an effort to designate him - in absentia, of course - as grand marshal of San Francisco's gay pride parade. All the while, Bradley Manning was imprisoned by the military, branded a traitor by the U.S. government and reviled by many Americans. Some called for his execution for giving troves of classified secrets to WikiLeaks for global distribution. Few Americans in living memory have emerged from obscurity to become such polarizing public figures - admired by many around the world, fiercely denigrated by many in his homeland. The contrasting portraits of Manning were summarized by his defense attorney, David Coombs, during the trial that culminated Tuesday with Manning's acquittal on a charge of aiding the enemy and his conviction on charges of espionage, theft and computer fraud. Is Pfc. Manning somebody who is a traitor, who has no loyalty to this country, or the flag? Coombs had asked. Or is he a young, naive, good-intentioned soldier who had human life, in his humanist beliefs, center to his decision? His supporters embraced the second of those versions, as illustrated by a full-page ad last week in The New York Times, headlined "WE ARE BRADLEY MANNING." The ad's 850 signatories included writer Alice Walker, activist intellectual Noam Chomsky, singer Joan Baez, and Daniel Ellsberg, the leaker of the Vietnam War-era Pentagon Papers who has praised Manning as a worthy heir to his legacy. "This 25-year-old, openly gay soldier from Oklahoma does not deserve to spend one more day in prison for informing the public of our government's policies," the newspaper ad said. We will not relent until this American hero is free. His detractors had a different view. "We need to get very, very serious about treason," Fox News analyst Ralph Peters said on a recent newscast. And oh by the way, for treason - as in the case of Bradley Manning or Edward Snowden - you bring back the death penalty. The lead prosecutor at Manning's trial, Maj. Ashden Fein, depicted the Army private as a "gleeful, grinning" malefactor who savored the glory of being a whistleblower. "The only human Pfc. Manning ever cared about was himself," Fein said. From the highest levels of the U.S. government, civilian and military leaders argued that Manning had violated pledges made to get his top secret clearance, potentially endangered U.S. agents, and made classified information accessible to America's enemies. "Some information which is sensitive, which does affect the security of individuals and relationships, deserves to be protected and we will continue to take necessary steps to do so," said Hillary Rodham Clinton while serving as secretary of state when Manning released classified diplomatic cables. One leaked dispatch referred to the president of Turkmenistan as "a practiced liar" and "not a very bright guy." Another said Sweden engaged in military and intelligence cooperation with the U.S. in contradiction with its public stance of nonalignment. One of Manning's leading defenders believes he decided to reveal secrets without any expectation of fame.