It's been a long time since I read Harris' book, but this is a good summation of the torture issue and the author's response to Harris is very similar to my own.

Karen Armstrong's "Battle for God" is in every way superior to Sam Harris and I highly recommend it. I think that Harris, Hitchens and Dawkins tapped into a groundswell of disgust at idiotic religious superstition (which continues to involve itself more and more in policy and decision making). They all sort of hit (and fanned) the motherlode of anti-religious backlash. But to rant against something is not necessarily the same as understanding it.

And really, taking on and debunking fundamentalist beliefs is kind of picking low fruit isn't it? Again I'd recommend the Armstrong book.

http://www.chowk.com/articles/10264