A much fairer minded commentary on the torturing of Iraqi prisoners than I've seen on either the left or the right comes from The Religious Policeman in Saudi Arabia:

However I would make one point. What the Coalition troops did in Iraq prisons is appalling, and very much undermines any case they make for bringing “Western Civilisation” to Iraq. However the West does have press and TV media that highlights and exposes these “dark corners”, and a political and judicial system that will, eventually, get to some sort of truth and bring about some sort of justice. In Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, the government can do what it pleases, it is never subject to internal criticism, or brought to account. So, whilst we’d rather not have your interrogation techniques, we’d very much like your free press and independent judiciary.

The ironic part is that some conservatives are always saying how our overly liberal media are undermining us in Iraq. Those very media are one reason many still consider our culture desirable.