I don't have all the details - after a while the speculation got a bit tiring and I'm just waiting for the real end result - but for now I agree with you. the honorable thing would've been to disqualify everybody on the team from tire men to drivers -- but something tells me the sponsors would've been very unhappy about that. if you're interested in reading about every (yes, *every*) single detail about mclarengate - it's been the major topic for weeks here : http://forum.planet-f1.com/index.php?t=thread&frm_id=3&
It's a matter of accepting responsibility (personal and team) for ones own actions and lacking that, the sanctioning body should have "forced" McLaren and those involved to accept responsibility. The FIA failed in their part of this equation. Should Hamilton or Alonso win the Driver's Championship, there will always be an asterisk next to their name. Without question, the sponsors would have been upset if McLaren had been banned from competing for the rest of the year or next year, but what kind of pressure would those same sponsors put on these teams to compete within the rules? Unfortunately, the FIA appears to be operating on the public opinion poll basis rather than what is the right thing to do.