Do As We Say, Not As We (Reportedly, Per the Liberal Media) Do

This just in: Pot calls kettle black. From the Center for American Progress:

THE TWO-FACED WHITE HOUSE

The State Department released its annual report documenting human rights abuses in countries around the globe. A total of 196 different countries were cited in this year's report; over 70 countries had human rights records described as "poor." (An examination of tactics used by the United States is not included in the annual report.) Some were countries with chronic abuse records, such as North Korea, Syrian and Iran. Others, like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, are currently among the White House's key allies. Sadly, this year's report won't carry as much sting or influence as in years past. Many of the tactics countries are being censured for are in use by the Bush White House. That, unfortunately, has drastically undercut the moral authority of the United States to compel autocratic nations to comply with human rights standards. Here's a further look at the findings of the report:

THROWING STONES FROM A GLASS HOUSE: The State Department criticized countries for what it called "torture," including "sleep deprivation for detainees, confining prisoners in contorted positions, stripping and blindfolding them and threatening them with dogs." These are all methods, however, which have been approved "by the Bush administration for use on detainees in U.S. custody." For example, in 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld signed off on stripping detainees at Guantanamo Bay and using dogs to terrorize them. Much of the legal framework for torture was set up in a series of memos approved by former White House counsel – and current Attorney General – Alberto Gonzales.

THE DIRTY SECRET OF RENDITION: The State Department also harshly criticized Syria and Egypt for their treatment of prisoners. The report failed to address the fact that, to circumvent torture rules, the White House has quietly been shipping suspects off to these countries known for torture. The practice, known as "extraordinary rendition," has become a "principle weapon in the CIA's arsenal" against prisoners. In one highly publicized example, the administration, lacking enough evidence to detain Canadian citizen Maher Arar, shipped him off to Syria. There, he claims he suffered 10 months of prolonged torture. In another case, the U.S. shipped Australian citizen Mamdouh Habib off to Egypt for "questioning." There he claims to have undergone six months of torture. When he finally arrived at Guantanamo Bay, he was missing most of his fingernails. Both men were eventually found to have no connection to terrorists and were released.

IRAQ HAS A LOT TO LEARN: The report cites serious abuses in the U.S.-supported, brand-new government in Iraq. According to the State Department, last year Iraqi police officers and government officials committed serious human rights violations, including rape, murder, extortion, torture and illegal detentions. (Iraq is also currently having problems with freedom of the press: today's Washington Post reports that after a devastating suicide bomb killed hundreds in Iraq yesterday, Iraqi police prohibited journalists from talking to any of the wounded at the hospital and "beat several cameramen" who tried to enter.

RUSSIA'S RECORD ON RIGHTS: Russia under President Vladimir Putin has been sliding closer and closer to a totalitarian state. President Bush had a key opportunity in his meeting with the Russian president last week to hold Putin accountable for his attacks on democracy. He blew it. Putin remained silent on his transgressions, and instead of pushing him to recommit to democratic principles in Russia, Bush merely said the world should trust the Russian leader. The new State Department report shows what happens when you just trust Putin to do the right thing. Specifically, it criticized Putin's government, saying "government pressure continued to weaken freedom of expression in the media, that the killing of civilians in Chechnya continued unabated, and that there are credible reports that law enforcement personnel engaged in torture, violence, and other brutal or humiliating treatment, often with impunity." It also faulted Russia for "its restriction of news media, and its allowing of political pressure to taint the judiciary."

KEY ALLIES AT FAULT: Many other countries the U.S. counts among its friends were guilty of crimes against human rights, according to the State Department's report. The White House has long turned a blind eye to abuses in Saudi Arabia; the report charges abuses in the country today "far exceed the advances." Saudi Arabia is charged with "a lack of legal rights, violence against women and children and discrimination against religious minorities" as well as "torture," including sleep deprivation and whippings. Libya, which recently enjoyed resumed diplomatic contact with the U.S., is charged with chaining prisoners to walls while threatening to attack them with dogs. (According to the Washington Post, the Libyan "menu of torture" also included electric shock and finger-breaking.)