But is this really political? In that this is information that is beneficial to a democratic society to have out in the open? Or is it something being done to embarrass a political rival which only serves the interest of a single party?

Because it really looks to me more like the later. Not that I feel sorry for Sony, but do they as a private-sector company not have a right to privacy? There's been a lot of talk lately about wanting to improve the state of privacy on the internet. Through pervasive encryption, controls on data collection, net neutrality, and limiting government surveillance. And then, because Sony happens to be unpopular, they get hacked and data stolen from them. I'm supposed to celebrate this breach of privacy? This tells me that if I value my own privacy I should be careful not to do anything that makes Julian Assange unhappy.

So no, I'm not going to join in the anti-Sony lynch mob. Privacy, like free speech, is something that if you value it for yourself you must defend it at all times, even if you disagree with who is using it.