US image already screwed - don't make it worse

Torture R US

washington Post: A Dangerous Veto Threat

It would be an understatement to say the war in Iraq has done little to bolster the perception of the United States around the world. But the administration's opposition to a provision that would ban the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody abroad risks sending the image of this country over another cliff -- as well as losing yet another opportunity to win the hearts and minds of people in the Middle East.

Raising the stakes for President Bush is the fact that his administration's position on the torture bill is at odds with prominent Republicans, most notably Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), a Vietnam War hero who spent five years as a POW in Hanoi.

"If we are viewed as a country that engages in torture ... any possible information we might be able to gain is far counterbalanced by (the negative) effect of public opinion," McCain said on CBS's "Face the Nation" this week. He added that while "terrorists are 'the quintessence of evil,' it's not about them; it's about us. This battle we're in is about the things we stand for and believe in and practice. And that is an observance of human rights, no matter how terrible our adversaries may be." Read more