Donald Rumsfeld, when he was Secretary of Defense, was asked how the United States was faring against the extremist ideology in the global “battle of ideas.” He said, “If I were grading, I would say that we probably deserve a D+ as a country.” That poor grade was primarily the result of his own policies and a cultural climate that led to the incidents at Abu Ghraib.
--- See also previous blog “Equality as an Affirmation of Our Common Humanity”
WSJ -- Peggy Noonan -- A Flawed Report’s Important Lesson
Americans regardless of party should agree torture is wrong.
“Torture is not like us. It’s not part of the American DNA. We think of ourselves as better than that because we’ve been better than that….We can’t use torture methods and still at the same time be the hope of the world.”
-- Peggy Noonan
-- Peggy Noonan
“The use of torture compromises that which most distinguishes us from our enemies, our belief that all people, even captured enemies, possess basic human rights.”
-- Sen. John McCain
-- Sen. John McCain
