President Obama stop abuse of Bradley Manning

[copy of letter emailed in response to a Voters for Peace email, 3/16/2011, slightly modified from Voters for Peace suggested contents. ] Dear President Obama: While I voted for you in 2008, excuse me for saying this, I have begun to wonder if you are the man of courage I voted for. Maybe you wonder how this situation has come about too. As reported in the NY Times, March 4, Bradley Manning is now being forced to sleep naked at night and stand naked for inspection outside his cell to receive his clothes in the morning. Your statement about this abuse at a recent press conference that his treatment is "appropriate and meeting our basic standards" is a lawyer's prevarication.  Has our country gotten the President it deserves, a lawyer?  As you know Manning is not convicted of anything. His pretrial confinement appears to be a form of petty, vindictive punishment which is "counter-productive and stupid", as State Department spokesman PJ Crowley rightfully called it [NY Times Blog, The Caucus 3/13/2011]. As the New York Times editorial of March 14, 2011, said in response to your comments, “it would be useful to revisit the presumption of innocence and the Constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment.” You have touted your experience as a constitutional law professor, when you ran for office you were critical of the previous president’s torture policy and you said “The United States does not torture.” Please stand true to those statements now. You are the Commander-In-Chief; you are responsible for the actions of the military.  You have the power to end the torture and order Manning transferred to another prison.  He should not be held by a military brig that tortured him for seven months.  Indeed, he has a constitutional right to bail and is no risk of flight.  He should be released so he can prepare his defense. Finally, Bradley Manning is not accused of selling secrets to the enemy. He is accused of whistle-blowing documents that exposed criminal and other inappropriate behavior by U.S. government officials in your administration and the previous administration.  You have applauded corruption being exposed in other countries.  You have said your administration would be more transparent.  But now you are punishing someone who is accused of exposing corruption in our country.  The prosecution of Manning and the threatened prosecution of Julian Assange should be reconsidered.  Instead, please encourage a debate about what the Wikileaks documents show that is good about the U.S. State Department and what is bad about our foreign policy.  The Constitution, as you have noted, says in its preamble that we seek to become “a more perfect union.” Please use Manning’s confinement and the documents he is accused of leaking as an opportunity to strive to become a more perfect union.  The U.S. can be a better citizen of the world.  At least let us be true to our values of human dignity and give Private Manning back his clothes.  We will all be judged by history.  We will inherit the fruits of our actions, collectively and individually. Sincerely,   Willis Jarvis, senior American citizen age 68