Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: September 27, 2007 5:34:43 AM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Blackwater-Gate -- Our Fuehrer May Have to Purge His Storm
Troopers
Blackwater ‘worse than Abu Ghraib’
Posted September 26th, 2007 at 8:15 am
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13008.html
To describe the ongoing Blackwater scandal as a fiasco would be a
dramatic understatement. Not only do we have a situation in which
private security contractors stand accused of killing Iraqi
civilians without provocation, we also have deep divisions brewing
between the Pentagon and the State Department, coupled by State
stonewalling a congressional investigation.
A confrontation between the U.S. military and the State Department
is unfolding over the involvement of Blackwater USA in the shooting
deaths of Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square Sept. 16, bringing to
the surface long-simmering tensions between the military and
private security companies in Iraq, according to U.S. military and
government officials.
In high-level meetings over the past several days, U.S. military
officials have pressed State Department officials to assert more
control over Blackwater, which operates under the department’s
authority, said a U.S. government official with knowledge of the
discussions.
“The military is very sensitive to its relationship that they’ve
built with the Iraqis being altered or even severely degraded by
actions such as this event,” the official said.
“This is a nightmare,” said a senior U.S. military official. “We
had guys who saw the aftermath, and it was very bad. This is going
to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib, and it comes at
a time when we’re trying to have an impact for the long term.”
At this point, the State Department seems to be treating Blackwater
contractors as the agency’s own private army, accountable to no one
outside the department. The Maliki government believes Blackwater
is a criminal enterprise, the Iraqi people resent Blackwater’s
presence, the Pentagon believes Blackwater is lying about the Sept.
16 incident in Nisoor Square, and congressional Democrats have
questions about what has transpired — which the State Department
refuses to answer.
This is a debacle so severe and humiliating, only the Bush
administration could pull it off.
David Kurtz offers this helpful timeline of events that sets the
stage for where we are now.
Sun, Sept. 16: Blackwater incident in which 11 Iraqi civilians are
killed after State Department convoy reportedly comes under fire,
an account disputed by the Iraqis.
Mon, Sept. 17: Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Government
Reform Committee announces his committee will investigate the
Blackwater incident.
Tue, Sept. 18: The American Embassy in Baghdad suspends diplomatic
convoys outside the Green Zone.
Wed, Sept. 19: In a phone call, Acting Assistant Secretary of State
William Moser warns Blackwater that no information regarding the
Blackwater contract can be released without State’s prior written
approval.
Thu, Sept. 20: Moser repeats the warning in a second call to
Blackwater, and State sends Blackwater a follow-up letter again
asserting again that the information possessed by Blackwater
belongs to State and cannot be disclosed.
Fri, Sept. 21: The four-day suspension of State Department convoys
ends and Blackwater resumes business. Secretary of State Condi Rice
announces that her department will undertake a “full and complete
review” of diplomatic security in Iraq.
And while it’s certainly nice of Rice to suddenly take an interest
in accountability, Congress, which has oversight responsibility and
is paying the bills for all of this, believes a bipartisan review
on Capitol Hill will produce a more accurate picture of what’s
transpired.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not only refuses to cooperate,
her office has also ordered Blackwater not to answer any questions
from lawmakers.
The State Department has interceded in a congressional
investigation of Blackwater USA, the private security firm accused
of killing Iraqi civilians last week, ordering the company not to
disclose information about its Iraq operations without approval
from the Bush administration, according to documents revealed Tuesday.
In a letter sent to a senior Blackwater executive Thursday, a State
Department contracting official ordered the company “to make no
disclosure of the documents or information” about its work in Iraq
without permission.
I appreciate the fact that outrage fatigue is inevitable when
dealing with the Bush gang, but this is truly ridiculous. We have
American taxpayers financing a private security army, whose members
stand accused of slaughtering civilians. The Secretary of State
believes no one should ask any questions about this, and those who
do must be ignored. It’s pure lunacy.
The State Department’s cooperation with a congressional inquiry is
not optional. Rice can’t simply refuse to divulge information, and
ordering others to remain silent is getting fairly close to the
obstruction-of-justice line.
When these guys act like they have something to hide, it’s almost
always because they have something to hide. Stay tuned.
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