Abu Gharib

In the Spring of 2004, the public became aware of inhumane actions which US soldiers took against Iraqi prisoners in Abu Gharib.  Abu Gharib prisoners were subject to torture along with sexual and physical abuse.  It was found through the American Civil Liberties Union that there was internal authorization for the use of "extraordinary interrogation tactics", including from Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

As the public became aware of the action taken by US soldiers against Iraqi prisoners, President Bush came forth with a statement essentially stating that these actions were not representative of the United States as a whole, rather, they were actions taken by selective individuals who disregarded the values of the US.  

Photographs released by the media in 2004 were a shock to the American population and most of the world alike.  The cruelty of the torture methods used to attempt to extract information out of prisoners contradicted America's fundamentals to the core.  Globally, this made the United States look even worse after the failure to get authorized to invade Iraq by the UN along with the chaotic state of Iraq with the absence of Hussein.  These images sparked even more hate from certain Iraqi people and added to the mess of the Iraq war.