Would it matter? The rules do not all go away just because they have not been always evenly enforced. It's like saying you should be able to go on a sleepover because Foolene's parents let her go.

Manning was either guilty of not guilty of the things he was charged with, and that is independent of what some General says to Congress. If the system does not ensure equal justice then the system should be fixed, but that would not change anything relating to Manning's actions and the consequences of those actions.

You'd think with as many web devs as we have on HN that more people would understand stateless protocols and independent transactions.

It may be that one set of rules (the UCMJ) requires him to lie (about this particular topic), while another set of rules make lying to congress illegal.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" often put people into paradoxes where they were required by one set of rules to not disclose their sexuality while another set of circumstances + rules required them to disclose it (ie., not lie), or face penalties.