It takes a lot to make me feel ashamed of being an American, but this does it:

U.S. Adopts Aggressive Tactics on Iraqi Fighters (washingtonpost.com): "Col. David Hogg, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, said tougher methods are being used to gather the intelligence. On Wednesday night, he said, his troops picked up the wife and daughter of an Iraqi lieutenant general. They left a note: 'If you want your family released, turn yourself in.' Such tactics are justified, he said, because, 'It's an intelligence operation with detainees, and these people have info.' They would have been released in due course, he added later. "

The general did turn himself in the next day, but is this really the way Americans should be conducting themselves? Not to mention the effect on the attitudes of Iraqis.