I could not agree with you more, personally.
On its face, it's a stupid statement. But I have noticed that Thompson more often than not, writes not to express, but to force the reader into engagement. I'm wondering if this was simply another example of forcing the hand of the reader--If the US is the greatest, (and I believe this is true), why are policies with dealing with dangerous prisoners so underdeveloped? I know it's a stretch here, but I'm having a hard time believing HST suffers from complete mental collapse.