it's yet another catch-22

state department dude sean mccormack states the united states is a 'staunch defender' (not staunch decider mind you) of human rights. and yup, i agree we are. TO EVERYONE ELSE, to ALL OTHER COUNTRIES we're shooting our mouths off (and in SOME instances our guns off) about what they can and cannot do, what they can and cannot say, what they can and cannot act like. but we MUST clean our OWN HOUSE FIRST. it is simply unacceptable for us to use torture.

...........American officials denied the allegations. "There's no
more staunch defender of human rights around the world than the United States
government," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
.........

Report blames top U.S. officials for alleged torture of detainees

By Matthew Schofield
Knight Ridder Newspapers
BERLIN - Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees by U.S. forces is widespread and, in many cases, sanctioned by top government officials, Amnesty International charged Wednesday.
The allegations, contained in a 32,000-word report released in New York and London and posted on the human rights organization's Web site, are likely to influence a U.N. hearing on U.S. compliance with international torture agreements that begins Friday in Geneva. Amnesty International sent a copy of the report to the U.N. Committee Against Torture, which is holding the hearings.
"Although the U.S. government continues to assert its condemnation of torture and ill-treatment, these statements contradict what is happening in practice," said Curt Goering, the group's senior deputy executive director in the United States. "The U.S. government is not only failing to take steps to eradicate torture, it is actually creating a climate in which torture and other ill-treatment can flourish."
American officials denied the allegations. "There's no more staunch defender of human rights around the world than the United States government," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros, said "humane treatment of detainees is and always has been the (Defense Department) standard." He noted that a dozen reviews of military detention operations had found no evidence that the top officials encouraged abuse. ............