So who is Richard Armitage? None other than a former board member of CACI--the private contractor that employed four interrogators at Abu Ghraib prison--interrogators who worked with the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade there.
http://www.counterpunch.org/palmer06152004.html

Armitage's past helps explain why he now is interfering directly in Australian politics. He was indirectly connected with the Iran-Contra scandal when he served in the Reagan administration as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He had direct knowledge of the diversion of funds, from arms sold to Iran (illegally--but approved by Reagan), that were syphoned through the CIA to the Contras (illegally--but again, approved by Reagan) for CIA-directed use against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

Armitage, like some other officials in the Reagan administration, did not like the illegality of the whole operation--but they did not come forward with their knowledge--and Armitage, in his Defense position, would most likely have known most of the details.

Armitage's main task at the moment is to bring Australia into line with U.S. military objectives--even if these include how the U.S. operates its overseas prisons like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Armitage wants bases in Australia and wants political leaders in our country to accept these. And he wants our political leaders to shut up if they have any criticisms of Bush policies.