American exceptionalism

Willing Torturers (washingtonpost.com): "There is a long way down the chain of command from Rumsfeld to the six soldiers from the 372nd Military Police Company who have been now been charged with abuse of Iraqi prisoners. But the defense secretary's feeling that America's war is an exception to the old rules certainly helped create the atmosphere that made abuse possible. The soldiers were, it seems, told that 'this is how military intelligence wants it done.' Why didn't more of them conclude earlier that 'military intelligence,' even American military intelligence, might be wrong? "