Cont....

However, the reliability and accuracy information must be questioned.

This being the case why did the Military use torture?
Were there other reasons?
This is rather important, since you cannot say it is ineffective and still practice it.
Can someone explain this?

This are counter opinions, which were disregarded by the higher ups like Cheney and Rumsfeld. Remember that in the U.S., civil authority supersedes military authority. And Rumfeld was ruthless in getting people who disagreed with him out of the way.

And it seems that torture was not used to gather intel on al-Qaida current or future plans but to fabricate links between it and Saddam Hussein. In other words they used them to compel false confessions. That, I'm afraid, is something that torture can get you.

The whole world, except the US, new there were no connections between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein.
Does not say much for the American media, does it?
As far as torture went, no one really cared much until the evidence was overwhelming and public.
I wonder why the media is not naming and shaming those American allies who participated in rendition and torture.

Well in part because the media was and is still complicit in these crimes. The fact that they refuse to call it torture and continue to float Bush's reasoning for the so called "War on Terror" speaks volumes of their complicity.

Yes but why is the media complicit?
There must be a powerful incentive to make it act so.

For the reporters it's access. They want to feel they are part of Washington elite and that means serving as microphones for them.

For the companies that run the news rooms it is all about profit. Backing the powers that be means goverment contracts: GE is one of the biggest military/energy contractors on the planet (war in Iraq means military+energy). NewsCorp Murdoch has made a living out of reactionary fake populist tabloid garbage (just as the Aussies and Brits) and the rest just follow suit.

BTW, I am not suggesting any hidden agendas or mystical conspiracies. All of this is well documented by the very news organizations we are talking about.

Ironic isn't it?

A great source for all things media (and torture) is Glenn Greenwald over at Salon.com.

Thanks for the link, going there now.
Cheers.