Letter to the Editor
Torture memos could improve image
President Obama has broken out the broom and mop and gotten straight to work on cleaning up America’s image abroad. His efforts have been quite successful, but it has been no easy task after the U.S. downfall during the Bush administration. However, his recent decision to publicize the Bush-era torture memos left me wondering, How would showing the world America’s dirty side help its image?
The answer is public support, not for the use of torture but against it. As the American people started to hear about waterboarding and the other harsh interrogation methods used, public outcry began. This is how I heard of the memos in the first place. And this spread of knowledge is what gave Obama the support he needed to end the use of harsh interrogation methods.
Ending torture methods quietly, without public support, would not have proven to be easy. Obama’s morals and values are just what America needs to stay strong, both in the eyes of its own people and those abroad.
Kara Wordehoff
Iowa City
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