The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. June 11, 2009 Following Senate Approval, Torture-Linked General Given “Carte Blanche” for Afghan Command ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Senate has confirmed the nomination of General Stanley Mc Chrystal to head the occupation of Afghanistan. Mc Chrystal’s promotion was approved Wednesday despite controversy over the abuse of prisoners by forces under his authority at the Joint Special Operations Command. Mc Chrystal oversaw a secretive program to hunt down and assassinate suspected terrorists around the globe. The New York Times reports Mc Chrystal has been given “carte blanche” in choosing his subordinates, including many Special Operations veterans that could be linked to prisoner abuse. Senior military officers say Mc Chrystal is putting together a corps of 400 officers and soldiers who will rotate between the United States and Afghanistan for at least three years. .