"Well, aren't you just a bundle of joy."
The Abu Ghraib prison 'scandal' is what I cite as precedent. The so-called torture exemplifies non-violent psychological pre-interrogation conditioning that has been used with ample success by the Saudi and Kuwaiti militaries. The soldiers who 'tortured' the naked Iraqis were following orders as they initially said they were and the media blew it up.
Now the chain of command has sold them out for political expediency.
If Bush does not pressure the military to hang this Marine out to dry I'll be impressed.
I'd really, really be impressed if Bush were to give the whole thing a "So what?" and get on with the war.
But I'm so used to Republicans worrying themselves into a dither over what liberals think of them that I would put money on this kid getting court martialed.
Someday the GOP will start to act like they actually run the country. Let me know when that happens, okay?