I get that point, really I do, and entirely agree with you on it: I also feel it is a slippery slope to go down if we start seeking leniency due to Aspergers.  Autism has nothing to do with what he did.  However, autism/aspergers aside, I still feel the hysterical response of the US government is way over the top.  And again, I think a far better use could be made of him by employing him to design better security to keep real terrorists out. He was apparently able to hack into top-secret sites using nothing more than an old PC (it was described as a "piece of junk" by one reporter) and a dial-up modem.  So whatever we may think of him, the guy has talents that could be used better than rotting in a cell somewhere.
Alison