Reuters reported on Saturday that outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorised the mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, the prison’s former U.S. commander said in an interview on Saturday.
Former U.S. Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski told Spain’s El Pais newspaper she had seen a letter apparently signed by Rumsfeld which allowed civilian contractors to use techniques such as sleep deprivation during interrogation.
Karpinski, who ran the prison until early 2004, said she saw a memorandum signed by Rumsfeld detailing the use of harsh interrogation methods. “The handwritten signature was above his printed name and in the same handwriting in the margin was written: “Make sure this is accomplished”,” she told Saturday’s El Pais.
Rumsfeld knew so little that maybe he didn’t know he signed the torture instructions. Right!!!! We are surrounded by a new generation of “know nothings.” This is just a prize example of the evil of this administration. How dare we contract out our dirty work? How dare this administration authorize the use of mercenaries? How dare our leaders change our tradition of opposing pre-emptive strikes against sovreign nations? We have created a real mess and the one thing that really no one knows is the final cost of cleaning it up.