Official: Blackwater contract for Iraq not renewed

AP via SFGate ^ | 1/30/9 | MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer

[SmithL]

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- A senior U.S. official says the State Department will not renew Blackwater Worldwide's contract to protect American diplomats in Iraq when it expires in May.

[SmithL]

Political Correctness will get somebody killed.

[gussiefinknottle]

hopefully it will be hillary! she would be a good learning curve.

[Smogger]

The Iragis decided not to renew Blackwaters license in operate in Iraq so it’s a moot point.

[Wu]

No problem.....new company name....

[matginzac]

I think that’s GREAT - now Wm Ayers can start his own “protection” firm for his buddy, Obama, and all the great “diplomats” of this admin (Mitchell, Holbrook, etc) can have a REAL, experienced group of ex-terrorists protecting them. It suits...

[mnehring]

Oh great.. what, are we going to have State Department analysts strap on some guns and protect VIPs, trucks, diplomats, etc now?

[Badeye]

This isn’t the big deal the MSM is making it out to be. It was inevitable the contract would end, and given the ‘surge’ worked, that made it this time around, rather than later.

Just a MSM hit piece in short. Blackwater’s financial future is assured, not doubt about it.

[Jeff Chandler]

No problem. Obama is dialoging with the terrorists, so the diplomats no longer need protection.

[hoosiermama]

It’s started already

[dirtboy]

We should start a betting pool, as to who the Dems will blame when diplomats get attacked in Iraq come June.

[An Old Man]

You need to read this Department of Defense DIRECTIVE NUMBER 1404.10

[JennysCool]

Exactly, Badeye. It was going to happen anyway, so Obama is announcing this as a pander to his nutcase fringe — same as the troop withdrawl announcement and the Gitmo “closure.”

Obama wants to take credit for “ending the war” when all of these things were planned by the Bush Administration long ago.

[Badeye]

Yep. No different that the strike teams I used to run around the country in the 1980’s. When the strike ends, the security teams disperse to their respective homes til the next one comes along.

[petro45acp]

Probably just as well. The new SOFA has folks working over there paying local taxes, and (worst of all) providing all kinds of very personal information to a potentially hostile government.

Nope, let state and DSS handle the heavy lifting from now, they have the black passports!

[DoughtyOne]

Blackwater president Gary Jackson told the AP the company has plans to remove its nearly two dozen aircraft and 1,000 security contractors from Iraq within 72 hours of receiving such an order. "If they tell us to leave, we'll pack it up and go," Jackson said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090129/ap_on_re_us/ml_iraq_blackwater


I don't see this as an insurmountable task, even replacing these security agents with our troops if need be.  I beleive Blackwater did a good job, and I do not think they are to blame for those 17 deaths.  It's easy to call everyone a civilian when the combatants don't wear uniforms and blend in with the public.  Every person our armed forces killed in Iraq could be called civilians.  They may have been armed combatants too, but they were civilians.  Of course you and I and the rest of the civilized world refers to them by their proper name, as terrorists.  That doesn't mean the world's leading leftists will.  It doesn't mean that those with an axe to grind in Iraq will.  No, these are poor innocent civilians killed by the thuggish occupiers, the armed forces of the United States.  Bull ---t!

[OCC]

No problem.....new company name....

Whitewater?

[Wu]

I was thinking the same thing...

[gieriscm]

Whoever takes over will either 1) hire BW’s people and rent the hardware, or 2) subcontract the work to BW.

[Badeye]

Full agreement. They did a great job, and probably will be the company known for changing how wars are fought.

[Cheetahcat]

hopefully it will be hillary! she would be a good learning curve.

She is good at ducking Sniper fire.