Allegations of torture. Pictures of bloodied prisoners. Reminders of embarrassing acts by American troops. All of a sudden, the Bush administration finds itself back on the defensive in its long campaign to persuade the Muslim world that the global war on terrorism is not a war on the Muslim faith.
In just a few days, the United States has endured a pair of blows to its image abroad. The publication of previously unseen photos from the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, plus a U.N. report calling for the closure of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, have forced the administration to defend its record and try to regain the public relations initiative. Where the hell is all the money spent sending that old white Conservative Fundamentalist Christian Texas woman, Karen Hughes, to represent American purity of heart and intent in the Muslim world Talk about your flash in the old Crusade??]