The New Republic and Scott Thomas Beauchamp

I've read a lot about this big mess TNR has gotten itself into. There is one aspect that needs more discussion than I've seen. Scott Thomas Beauchamp described in detail how he verbally abused a woman who had been badly deformed in combat. Leave aside the fact that STB seems to be the only human who has ever seen this woman. Let's just assume that Beauchamp was telling the truth. Why would the New Republic want someone so lacking in moral character as a reporter? Does TNR not understand how disgusting his behavior was? If TNR can't identify scumbag behavior, why should any reader be at all interested in what TNR has to say about moral issues.
I suspect TNR thinks that Beauchamp is not responsible for his own behavior. TNR feels that having been in the army and been exposed to war somehow made the army and/or George Bush responsible for this man's behavior. I guess the argument goes something like this: I treat other people like dirt but it's not my fault because the evil Bush invaded Iraq so when I volunteered to join the military the evil of the evil Bush made me a zombie controlled by his evil evilness to abuse this woman and enjoy doing it. You have got to feel sorry for Beauchamp since he has lost control of his own life to Bush the evil zombie master. Apparently in the world view of TNR people such as Beauchamp lack responsibility and the power of choice, he is denied this basic human attribute. But George Bush is fully human. George can be responsible and make choices. Though I get the impression that Bush always makes the wrong choice. ALWAYS. But how do you prove that someone has freedom to choose if he always chooses the same. Or is it just enough to say that he's evil and he will always choose evil but still everything is his fault. So I'm left with this vision of a world of poor, helpless zombie slaves and an evil zombie master. I don't buy it but that's the world TNR offers us.