Former general says Rumsfeld authorized abu Ghraib torture

The former general in charge of Abu Ghraib and who was disciplined for the atrocities there now says Rumsfeld authorized the torture techniques:

MADRID (Reuters) - Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized 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.

This should get big coverage, but it probably won't. It occurred on a slow weekend, and the government will toss it off as self-interested complaining from someone they punished. The press will buy into that and ignore it. It will get huge coverage everywhere else in the world though.