Quote from AAAintheBeltway:
I am trying to get beyond attacking or defending this. Obviously it is a political disaster for the administration. As for the "Arab street" and arab governments, they are outraged in the same way that the Congressional Black Caucus was outraged over the Trent Lott episode. In other words, they are thrilled and overjoyed they have something to complain about. Most of those governments routinely do far worse to their prisons full of political prisoners.
I see two important issues here. One, the MP's are being hung out to dry for this, while those who are truly responsible in my view, the military intelligence people, are skating. Two, there is a difficult ethical question over how far to go in this sort of interrogation. People are acting like we shouldn't go beynd what a local police force in the US can do, but that view is very naive in my judgment. But, as pointed out, there no doubt are some totally innocent prisoners, plus the quality of information one receives from coercion can be spotty.
And why is it the public is largely unconcerned if a plane kills 100 women and children with bombs but is outraged over a few stupid pictures? Have we totally lost a sense of proportion or is the prison scandal the absolute worst thing that has happened?