Quote Originally Posted by SWJED View Post
... we adhere to all the Conventions - down to the last dotted i and crossed t.

In light of the proposed legislation regarding tribunals, I'm not sure I agree with this statement. Art 99 of Geneva Convention III says that no POW can be tried without having an opportunity to defend himself (although we call these guys detainees rather than POWs, the same rule applies given the prevailing winds right now). By not allowing these guys to have access to the evidence against them, we disregard this article.

That being said, my issue is not so much whether we adhere to the letter of the conventions, but whether we are perceived as doing so. Basically, whether we adhere or not is irrelevant if we are perceived as not doing so or as manipulating the law to our advantage. What may be seen as necessary or even heroic by a criminal law attorney on TV does not play well with world opinion when it comes to GWOT. I think this feeling that we do not adhere to international law and play fast and loose with the rules, causes us to lose support (e.g. Turkey would not allow us flyover rights in part because they viewed the was as illegal). This takes us closer to the attrition point. Once we reach that point, i.e. the point at which we lose public support for the war effort, we've lost. We have to do it right and be viewed as doing it right.

As for the line in the sand, I sincerely hope there isn't one. A nation of laws is what we are. Isn't that what we fight for? I think this quote sums it up quite well:


Roper: “So now you'd give the Devil the benefit of law!”
More: “Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get to the Devil?”
Roper: “I'd cut down every law in England to do that!”
More: “Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you -- where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat. This country’s planted thick with laws from coast to coast -- man’s laws, not God’s -- and if you cut them down -- and you're just the man to do it -- do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of the law, for my own safety’s sake.”