Go ahead and torture them, ordered Condoleezza Rice (America's image abroad)

I happened to snap this photo at our bus stop here in Prague. Someone anonymous obviously angry at the U.S. for being a country that tortures people taped up this local newspaper clipping with the headline

"Torture them, said Rice"

The caption below the photo of Rice reads:
Condoleezza Rice allowed CIA agents to torture prisoners "humanely"




I won't strain my eyes to translate the whole article from the digital photo, but here is the first paragraph:

Washington - America is dealing with another scandal related to brutal interrogations carried out by the CIA.

Already in 2002, then national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, who later became Secretary of State, recommended to the CIA that officials questioning terrorism suspects should use torture methods. She along with former Attorney General John Ashcroft then signed official permission for torture.


Below the newspaper clipping, whoever taped it up at the bus stop hand wrote, "Humane torture the new democratic method. Excellent. Kill a democrat and you will strengthen peace."




This is still the reputation of the United States around the world, a country that illegally tortures rounded up suspects being held indefinitely without charges or trial. Barack Obama has his work cut out for him if he is ever to succeed in changing America's image, especially considering that when these kinds of articles are published, many do not really understand that the Obama administration is not the same human rights violator as the Bush administration was.