Simultaneity

     At the exact same time that the USG is saying "they aren't an army, they don't deserve Geneva Convention status (although the Geneva Convention gives _everyone_ some status)" ... at the exact moment they argue that al-Qaeda aren't an army, they also argue that we are fighting a "War" on these guys, and that, because of this war, civilian law does not apply, and that martial law (military interrogations, torture, no civilian oversight) applies.