It's been a bad week for Washington’s image. First, a leaked Justice Department memo provided a handy legal framework to justify the US government’s killing of its own citizens without even a semblance of due process. Then a report by a respected international body alleged gross violations of international law by the United States and its allies in a process known as “extraordinary rendition.” And Tuesday night, newspapers revealed the location of a previously secret drone base in Saudi Arabia from where the United States launches strikes against Al Qaeda militants inside Yemen — including US citizens.