> my guess is that torture can be effectively used as a part of the equation. Otherwise Obama would have closed gitmo.

There are plenty of other explanations, given that it is such a political issue. By that argument, the "War on Terror" and the TSA must be unarguably effective, despite all evidence to the contrary, or otherwise we would have abandoned them.

The torture report released in December, as well as the information we already had about waterboarding even a decade ago, show that most torture is by and large not effective at extracting information[0].

Which raises the question: what is the real goal of practices like "rectal feeding", or allowing these abuses to continue[1]?

[0] Though even if it had been, this wouldn't be an acceptable defense of the practice.

[1] http://mic.com/articles/106006/16-horrifying-excerpts-from-t...