Perhaps Wikipedia may help this discussion not go off track:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture
"Torture is the infliction of severe physical or psychological pain as an expression of cruelty, a means of intimidation, deterent or punishment, or as a tool for the extraction of information or confessions. Sometimes torture is practiced even when it appears to have little or no functional purpose beyond the gratification of the torturer or because it has become the norm within the context.
Torture is an extreme violation of human rights. Signatories of the Third Geneva Convention agree not to commit torture under certain circumstances in wartime, and signatories of the UN Convention Against Torture agree to not commit certain specific forms of torture. These conventions and agreements notwithstanding, it is estimated by organisations such as Amnesty International that around 2/3 of countries do not consistently abide by the spirit of such treaties. Realistically, torture or similar techniques have been a tool of many states throughout history and for many states they remain so (when expedient and desired, and often unofficially) today."
There is a great deal more on that site.
However, perhaps we might agree that, just as it was irrelevant to a discussion of how brutal Hussein was, that Hitler tormented and murdered many more people - it is also irrelevant to a discussion of possible US infliction of torture, that Hussein was a frightful individual who murdered and tormented many of his citizens?
Can we just take that as read? That we all accept that the world is filled with frightfulness, that many countries have treated their own, and other, unfortunate people very badly? That the US is a fine country whose current level of power and world domination make its behaviour important? That we KNOW Hussein was terrible, Stalin worse? That terrible things are happening in the Congo, Somalia, Darfur - every damned where? Looking at America does not negate any of thisd.
Might we still be able to discuss this matter despite this?