Just about sums it up... Robert Jeffers, via Atrios, captures current events perfectly. An excerpt:

And we don't abuse prisoners. Except when we do. It's not 'American.' Except it is expressly sanctioned by military regulations. Except it can only be sanctioned by the DoD, because Rumsfeld keeps tight rein on everything.

Except he doesn't. Because this was authorized in Iraq, not in Washington. Except it couldn't have been, because Rummy runs a tight ship.

Except he didn't know. But don't call it 'plausible deniability.' Because there's a chain of command.

What particularly surprises me is the shock (or "shock", if you will) over violations of the Geneva Convention. I had forgotten that we had been here in 2002. Apparently I wasn't the only one. An editorial last week (can't remember where, sorry) reminded me that we had left the Convention by the wayside a long time ago:

All the detainees were being treated as if they were prisoners of war, although the Pentagon has not declared them as POWs under the Geneva Convention.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Friday the captives were considered "unlawful combatants" and have no rights under the convention.

"We do plan to, for the most part, treat them in a manner that is reasonably consistent with the Geneva Conventions, to the extent they are appropriate, and that is exactly what we have been doing," Rumsfeld said.

I remember so clearly how this seemed bad at the time, but nebulously. And I keep remembering other things that had that same feeling. Wasn't there a nuclear weapon anti-proliferation treaty we un-signed? A global warming initiative we refused to join? A UN Security Council we thumbed our nose at? Are we scared yet of the implications THOSE might have soon?

¶ 4:00 PM