So the Pentagon has finally decided to recognize the power of the Supreme Court and has ordered the armed forces to treat detainees in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, as the court had required.

The phrase "it's about time" seems to be reverberating off the walls. Shouldn't it be nothing other than blatantly obvious that we should have been treating detainees in accordance with the Geneva Conventions from the start?

It's a sad day when the U.S. has to make a statement about treating prisoners humanely, when the rest of the world does this automatically.

The Pentagon also felt compelled to release a memo, slyly claiming that treatment of prisoners has, in the past, already been compliant with the Geneva Conventions. This, however, excludes the military commissions that were created by President Bush and subsequently struck down by the Supreme Court.

The question of whether terror suspects deserve to be afforded the same fair-trial protections as U.S. soldiers facing prosecution is one that comes up frequently. However, these suspects should have the same rights that those awaiting trial and being held in prison have always been afforded. They have a right to be treated humanely and decently.

Examples from Abu Ghraib and Hadditha have shown the world that the U.S. does not, in fact, always treat prisoners with respect. Individual members of our military have learned to turn the culture of prisoners against them. This had led to the scandals of U.S. soldiers treating prisoners in the most disrespectful manner possible.

The actions at Abu Ghraib and Hadditha may have been carried out by individuals, but there seems to be a sense of treating prisoners with disrespect that permeates through members of the military. Perhaps this is a trickle-down effect from top leadership officials.

Now that Congress is bringing the military prisons back under the Geneva Conventions, the White House must agree to obey the laws. If the U.S. doesn't treat our prisoners by conventional laws governing treatment, then how do we expect the rest of the world to treat U.S. prisoners with any decency?

After the debacle of Abu Ghraib, it is going to take a lot for the U.S. to regain any global respect.

The announcement that the U.S. will follow the Geneva Conventions may have come far too late in the game, but now the Bush Administration must be held responsible for all future mishandlings of international prisoners.