Following: http://thomasgersdorf.com/linux/index.php/Gentoo_Linux_on_IBM_ThinkPad_T60:Fn-Keys
For power management/suspend to RAM and function keys use. No mention of AHCI in Thinkpad BIOS. Enabled sleep states under ACPI in stock 2.6.18 kernel. Emerged: acpid, and thinkpad - previously tpctl stuff also.
xxxxx: rc-update add acpid default
reboot and now: echo -n mem > /sys/power/state
suspends with use of crescent-moon function-F4 to wake up!