Bush subverts the chain of command, using nods and winks to approve torture—and destroy the honor of the Army:

James J. Yee, a former Muslim chaplain at the Guantánamo Bay detention center, says in a new book that military authorities knowingly created an atmosphere in which guards would feel free to abuse prisoners.

Mr. Yee writes that when General Miller visited the prison, he would tell the guards sternly, “The war is on.” That remark and similar comments, Mr. Yee writes, were designed to let soldiers know they were operating in a combat environment where it was understood that rules protecting detainees were relaxed and instances of mistreatment would be overlooked.

(via Times)

Say, has Sergeant Joseph Darby gotten the Medal of Freedom yet? Didn’t think so.

NOTE More on the Stanford Experiment.