Justin, General Taguba's report described the problem as "systemic", which clearly means that it's the organization that's sick, not just a few isolated individuals. When an organization is sick, it is absolutely the responsibility of its leadership.

Not just on the general, but worthy, principle that "the buck stops here". Specifically, since it took office the Bush Administration has expressed nothing but contempt for international law and institutions. It vehemently opposes the International Criminal Court, which perhaps prophetically, is the body that holds accountable heads of state for the actions of their countries. The Bush Administration has nothing but disdain for world opinion; and it's as true of nations as it is of individuals that regard for the opinions and standards of society disciplines and provides corrective feedback that tends to rein in the most serious abuses, by nations as well as individuals. The attitudes expressed by the leadership become the working philosophy of the troops.

During the Afghanistan war the Bush Administration claimed that the Geneva Convention didn't apply to POWs, both combatant and noncombatant, and that saying they did was merely quibbling over technicalities. They've made similar claims about the Afghanistan prisoners being held at Guantonamo Bay. Those policy pronouncements were translated into action at Abu Ghraib prison.

The Bush Administration willfully disregarded projections of troop and material resources required in Iraq that we now know to have been correct. As a consequence, our people are overworked and stressed-out, and generally stretched alarmingly thin. Failure to plan for the postwar longterm means that combat troops and reservists are charged with nationbuilding, a task that they were never trained for. Morale is understandably suffering, as tours-of-duty are being indefinitely extended. General Taguba's report mentions that the MP brigades under investigation were never trained in the proper procedures for handling internees, detainees, and civilian criminals. Just about everyone involved has testified that they were following at least the directions, if not outright orders, of military and civilian intelligence officers. Pural. One could be dismissed as a rogue, but when it's many they're implementing policy.

We've ended up with a situation where, on the one hand, the Commander-in-Chief and his lieutenants articulate a policy of contempt for international standards and law; and on the other, they've put our troops in an increasingly untenable and dangerous situation through mismanagement and appalling ineptitude. Is it any wonder that the pressures created by such a bad situation--the resultant system--warps and cracks a few people and produces the outrages at Abu Ghraib prison? What happened there isn't about shortcomings in our troops, it's about where their leaders have taken them.

It is absolutely correct, morally and factually, to hold Bush and his senior military lieutenant responsible for this situation. It's wrong to try and throw a few soldiers to the wolves to protect Bush's political prospects.