How did we slip off the high ground? 

How did we slip off the high ground?

One of the most distressing things to me about the Abu Ghraib scandal is the reaction of so many Americans, in the press, on the blogs, in the Senate, to the effect that we really didn't to anything that bad. You know, "compared to Saddam...," "compared to 9/11," etc. Seeing this kind of reaction, coming from so many sources, makes me wonder, just what the hell is it that we Americans are supposed to possess that makes us think we're so special? It used to be that we could proclaim that we upheld freedom and democratic values and that we eschewed, even sincerely condemned things like torture and hegemonistic wars. But now our government does those things in our name and not only does the vast majority of people not get righteously upset about it, but a very vocal and in some cases influential and/or powerful minority (Imhofe, Lieberman, Limbaugh, et.al.) shrug it off as if it ain't no bad. And this attitude is justified because we have been attacked, as if to imply that it's then okay to go blindly flailing away at anybody who looks like an "evil-doer." All of this makes us as a nation and a people look ignorant and fearful. So, back to my question...what is it that we can claim anymore to make us feel that we are special?