Republicans ask Waxman to postpone Blackwater hearing

[babylonsister]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/1007/Republicans_ask_Waxman_to_postpone_Blackwater_hearing.html

Republicans ask Waxman to postpone Blackwater hearing

Seven House Republicans have urged Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) to postpone a hearing about Blackwater USA until the State Department and a separate commission report on the most recent incident involving the North Carolina-based security firm in which Iraqi civilians were killed.

The Republicans sent Waxman a letter Friday, urging him to reschedule a Tuesday hearing into Blackwater's role protecting U.S. government officials in Iraq.

They want Waxman to postpone the hearing until the State Department and the U.S.-Iraq Joint Commission unveil their own separate reports about a Sept. 16 shooting in the Mansour district of Baghdad in which nine Iraqi civilians were reported killed and another 15 were wounded.

"We are just as interested in discovering what occurred during the most recent Blackwater incident, but for that to happen, we need to have all the facts available, which includes the outcome of the ongoing investigations by the Department of State," the lawmakers wrote. "We feel it would be irresponsible for the committee to rush to judgment until all the facts are considered."

The Republicans include Reps. Dan Burton of Indiana, Christopher Cannon of Utah, Darrell Issa of California, Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, John Mica of Florida, Mark Souder of Indiana and Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia.

Blackwater Chairman Erik Prince was expected to testify Tuesday along with three State Department officials. The Iraqi government revoked the firm's business license after the most recent shooting.

Last week, the Oversight Committee released incident reports faulting the security firm, in part, for a separate ambush in March, 2004, where four guards were killed and later burned in what became a pivotal event in the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

[yardwork]

1. Translation - we need time to get our stories straight and shred a bunch of documents.

Potential witnesses need to be paid off or disappeared. Whole warehouses of documents need to disappear. We need to have several meetings in which everyone gets a chance to practice their lines.

[cascadiance]

11. And to have Blackwater troops redeployed near detention centers in the states.

So that we can be ready to pull the "martial law trigger" if and when we feel it to be necessary to deal with the coming "national crisis".

[robinlynne]

2. My guess is waxman says fuck you. (politely)

[babylonsister]

10. Mine, too. He's been stonewalled too much to accept their pleas-I hope. nt

[spanone]

3. don't do it henry, don't trust them for one fucking second.

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. I hope he wrote back and told them

to go to hell? We already know what the State Department report will say....Blackwater did NOTHING wrong.

[whistle]

5. Republicans do not want Americans to know the truth about their

...private army. Keep the pressure on these people :wtf:

[rodeodance]

6. Blackwater is funded by State----and they are ones doing the 'investigation"---they need an

independent investigation!

[babylonsister]

7. Hearing on Private Security Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan-TOMORROW

http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1509

Hearing on Private Security Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan

On October 2, 2007, the Oversight Committee will hold a hearing to examine the use of private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The following witnesses are scheduled to testify:

* Erik Prince, Chairman, the Prince Group, LLC and Blackwater USA
* Ambassador David M. Satterfield, Special Adviser, Coordinator for Iraq, Department of State
* Ambassador Richard J. Griffin, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Diplomatic Security and Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, Department of State
* William H. Moser, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Logistics Management, Department of State

[mikelgb]

8. ugh the judiciary repugs are some of the worst

[budibudinski]

9. All the more reason to go ahead as planned Henry..

and their request should signal 'urgency' for your hearings.
Give them no more time for a cover-up.

Ignore their request and go forward..your instincts are correct Mr Waxman.

[Trillo]

12. Justice delayed is justice denied?

Isn't that a well-known quote.

[annabanana]

13. This SHOULD be all Waxman needs to hear to know that

He should be kicking down doors and grabbing computers if he wants to get ANYTHING like the real story.... .

[Ghost in the Machine]

14. FUCK those goddamned republicans! I wish they'd ALL fucking DIE!!

I'm so sick of reading about those bunch of traitors, cowards and con men that I could literally SCREAM.

Ok, I need rest...

/rant

[Disturbed]

17. Don't you just love their timing?

The Regime just awarded a Blackwater subsidiary $93 Million for aircraft, so that Blackwater can fly around and kill people.

[Ghost in the Machine]

19. That should cover 10 Super Tucanos at $9 million each: Blackwater Buys Brazilian Bombers

Blackwater Buys Brazilian Bombers

August 27, 2007: Security company Blackwater U.S.A. is buying Super Tucano light combat aircraft from the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. These five ton, single engine, single seat aircraft are built for pilot training, but also perform quite well for counter-insurgency work. Brazil.

The Super Tucano is basically a prop driven trainer that is equipped for combat missions. The aircraft can carry up to 1.5 tons of weapons, including 12.7mm machine-guns, bombs and missiles. The aircraft cruises at about 500 kilometers an hour and can stay in the air for about 6.5 hours per sortie.

One of the options is a FLIR (infrared radar that produces a photo realistic video image in any weather) and a fire control system for bombing. Colombia is using the Super Tucanos for counter-insurgency work (there are over 20,000 armed rebels and drug gang gunmen in the country). The aircraft is also used for border patrol. The U.S. Air Force is watching that quite closely.

The Super Tucano costs $9 million each, and come in one or two seat versions. The bubble canopy provides excellent visibility. This, coupled with its slow speed (versus jets), makes it an excellent ground attack aircraft.

Blackwater already has a force of armed helicopters in Iraq, and apparently wants something a little faster, and more heavily armed, to fulfill its security contracts overseas. Initially, Blackwater is getting one two-seater, for pilot training in the United States.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/articles/20070827.aspx

[flordehinojos]

15. [b] Why? What is up their sleeve? What are they trying to block? [/b]

Give them hell Henry. Have the hearing and let them squeal like the pigs they are.

[AtomicKitten]

16. The GOP is confusing us for people who give a crap.

Is there a reason Republicans managed to exclude and lock out Democrats during their tenure, and we are listing to their whining now? Eff 'em.

[Parche]

18. I Should Have Known

Darrell Fukin Issa would be one of them

Along with F-IN Mica that F-IN clown

And Mark 'sour face' Souder

And to top it off Dan 'its all Clintons fault' Burton


What a crock of crap....


:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:


:hi:

[librechik]

20. you have a problem? Fine we'll have TWO hearings--one tomorrow

and one later when you get your whitewash together.

Then we can compare testimony.

Sigh.

Henry will fold.

[blogslut]

21. according to the oversite website

The hearing is still on for tomorrow: http://oversight.house.gov/schedule.asp

I don't think Mr Waxman will fold. Virgos don't fold so easy.

[librechik]

22. hope you are right n/t

[AuntPatsy]

23. me too