WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to give allies in Europe a response next week to their pressure over Washington's treatment of terrorism suspects: back off.

For almost a month, the United States has been on the defensive, refusing to deny or confirm media reports the United States has held prisoners in secret in Eastern Europe and transported detainees incommunicado across the continent.

The European Union has demanded that Washington address the allegations to allay fears of illegal U.S. practices. The concerns are rampant in among the European public and parliaments, already critical of U.S. prisoner-abuse scandals in Iraq and Guantanamo, Cuba.

But Rice will shift to offense when she visits Europe next week, in a strategy that has emerged in recent days and been tested by her spokesman in public and in her private meetings with European visitors.

[Rice] will remind allies they themselves have been cooperating in U.S. operations and tell them to do more to win over their publics as a way to deflect criticism directed at the United States, diplomats and U.S. officials said.

"It's very clear they want European governments to stop pushing on this," said a European diplomat, who had contact with U.S. officials over the handling of the scandals. "They were stuck on the defensive for weeks, but suddenly the line has toughened up incredibly," the diplomat said.

Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern said Rice told him in Washington she expected allies to trust that America does not allow rights abuses -- a sign she will avoid giving Europe a detailed response on U.S. intelligence work.

And she pointedly did not give Ahern a personal assurance Ireland has not been used for secret prisoner transfers because he had already heard that denial from the U.S. ambassador, a senior State Department official said.

So the US strategy concerning illegal secret torture bases in Eastern Europe will be twofold. First, lie about them, which is no problem because the Bush administration excels at lying. Of course, they are not very good at lying, but since Americans are exceedingly gullible it makes it okay. And second, remind allies that since they are allies, they are by extension just as guilty of illegal activities as we are because they should have known.

It's like the morality tale about the snake and the girl. The snake asks the girl to carry him across the busy road so he won't get run over. The girl says no because the snake will bite her. The snake reassures her he won't. She carries him across the road and as she's putting him down, he bites her. She is shocked and asks why he bit her. The snake replies, "You knew what I was when you picked me up." Any of America's allies who does not know what kind of morally bankrupt administration George W. Bush is running really deserves to be bitten. If Bush and his cronies get buy-in, however reluctant, from allies, then they are as guilty. And if everyone is guilty, no one is left to punish anyone else. There is safety in numbers.