Rules of War

This thread is somewhat in response all the tripe surrounding Jose Padilla and some of the ethically questionable things surrounding the war in Iraq, Guantanimo Bay, and the "war on Terrorism."

I will preface this post with the fact that I did not and do not like the Bush regime. That's not to say that I would have been happy with Kerry as president, though, but I reluctantly supported him since that would have been healthier for my stress levels for the next four years. As it is, the next four years may well shorten my life by ten years. To say the least, I was pretty pissed after the Democratic primaries. I really didn't think that Kerry would cut it. Lo and behold, he didn't.

Anyway, to get to my point, I don't understand the occasional argument that this administration sometimes puts forth that people who do not follow the rules of war, as put forth by the Geneva Conventions, are not subject to those rules. The way I see it, we have an even higher ethical and moral obligation to treat these people under the Geneva Conventions than we ever have.

I'm not a Christian, but if people wish for us to be called a Christian nation, should we not be following the Christian tenets of mercy, love, and forgiveness?

Also, I don't ever see the Geneva Conventions being followed according to the manner the Bush administration puts forth. Quite simply, I doubt that any nation that follows the Geneva Conventions would be at war with another nation that also follows the Geneva Conventions. I just don't see it happening, at all.