[Azred]

Originally posted by Skunk: Matching force for force is one thing - but we should not be setting the lead in committing abuses and should attempt to show the morally englightened way of doing things wherever possible.

Based on all the information that has been coming from Iraq in the last several months we are certainly not setting the lead for committing abuses, unless we have also beheaded people or set their corpses on fire.
The terrorists in Iraq, or anywhere for that matter, don't really care about anyone's "morally enlightened" way of doing things. Petting a rabid dog only gets you bitten.

Originally posted by Skunk: Given that the bulk of those that we detain are both innocent and harmless, we should make it a matter of priority to treat them with the dignity and humanity that they deserve (at least until we have definitive evidence to the contrary) - or risk driving them into supporting/joining the very terrorists that we are seeking to stop.

How do we know they are both innocent and harmless? Because a news service says that they are? Hmm...
Regardless, I agree that any detainees should have been treated humanely and in a manner that doesn't result in what would be mortifying embarrassment to an Arab male. This whole prison debacle has given us an almost insurmountable black eye; the best thing to do is to have 30 June get here quickly and get everybody the heck out of Dodge.