"American Allies get a pass while enemies are punished."

US officials and media reports were right about Gaddafi's human rights record: It was atrocious. They cautioned the incoming TNC to make human rights a priority: "The Libyan authorities should also continue living up to their commitments to respect human rights, begin a national reconciliation process, secure weapons and dangerous materials, and bring together armed groups under a unified civilian leadership," Obama said. (No word on how Gaddafi's execution fits in to that.)

Hypocrisy reigns

Yet, in the very same week, the United States was cozying up to another long-time dictator - one whose style, brutal treatment of prisoners, and notorious massacre of political dissidents is highly reminiscent of the deposed Libyan tyrant.

Like a business that maintains two sets of records, one for the tax inspector and the other containing the truth, the United States has two different foreign policies. Its constitution, laws and treaty obligations prohibit torture, assassinations, and holding prisoners without trial. In reality there are secret prisons such as Guantánamo. Similarly, there are two sets of ethical standards in America's dealing with other countries. Enemies are held to the strictest standards. Allies get a pass. This double standard is the number-one cause of anti-Americanism in the world.

In yet another display that exposes US foreign policy on human rights as hypocritical and self-serving, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travelled to Uzbekistan to establish closer ties with the Central Asian republic's president-for-life, Islam Karimov. Even as her State Department was ballyhooing the bloody conclusion of Gaddafi's 42-year reign as a victory for freedom and decency, the former First Lady was engaged in the cynical Cold War-style of one of the worst human rights abusers in the world.

In the human rights brief on Karimov, one major highlight is Central Asia's Tiananmen Square, the 2005 massacre of between 750 and 1250 peaceful demonstrators at Andijan, a southern town along the restive border with Kyrgyzstan, near the ancient Ferghana Valley. Karimov personally ordered Uzbek militia, Interior Ministry troops and regular army units to surround a square and gun down the protesters, then travelled to the site in order to witness the carnage. A few dozen people managed to escape, scrambling across a border crossing. Shocked Kyrgyz sentries, who had a view of the killing orgy, admitted the refugees. Uzbek troops chased the escapees into Kyrgyzstan, dragged them back and executed them on the Uzbek side of the bridge.

english.aljazeera.net...

I will say a little edit is that it's aljazeera. Which has a history of not liking America in it's reports. Though I can see where they're coming from. We're hypocrites. Are we not?

...it's aljazeera. Which has a history of not liking America in it's reports.

But often what is deemed anti-american,
is the difference between the truth with the spin people are bombarded with.