President Obama, Why Did You Pay Blackwater $70 Million in February?

[Mari333]

For those already outraged at the AIG bonus scandal, here is a fact that should add more fuel to the fire: The Obama administration has paid the mercenary firm formerly known as Blackwater nearly $70 million to operate in Iraq and, according to The Washington Times, may keep the company on the payroll months past the official expiration of its Iraq contract in May. I reviewed Blackwater's recent transactions with the Obama State Department and discovered a $45 million payment to Blackwater on February 4, 2009 for "protective services-Iraq." It is described as a "funding action only." Here is the interesting part: The estimated "Ultimate Completion Date" is 5/07/2011.





http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/132171/president_obama,_why_did_you_pay_blackwater_$70_million_in_february/








Grrr.

[babylonsister]

1. Funding action only? Maybe the gov't is paying off their

outstanding bill?

This was also posted yesterday:

U.S. Moves to Replace Contractors in Iraq

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/16/AR2009031602720_pf.html

[Mari333]

2. its confusing

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3788365

[babylonsister]

3. I put no credence in what the WA Times writes, and little

in what the WaPo says. So I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

4. It's all fairly consistent

A senior foreign policy adviser to leading Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has told The Nation that if elected Obama will not "rule out" using private security companies like Blackwater Worldwide in Iraq. The adviser also said that Obama does not plan to sign on to legislation that seeks to ban the use of these forces in US war zones by January 2009, when a new President will be sworn in. Obama's campaign says that instead he will focus on bringing accountability to these forces while increasing funding for the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the agency that employs Blackwater and other private security contractors. (Hillary Clinton's staff did not respond to repeated requests for an interview or a statement on this issue.)

Obama's broader Iraq withdrawal plan provides for some US troops to remain in Iraq--how many his advisers won't say. But it's clear that Obama's "follow-on force" will include a robust security force to protect US personnel in Iraq, US trainers (who would also require security) for Iraqi forces and military units to "strike at Al Qaeda"--all very broad swaths of the occupation.

<snip>

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080317/scahill

[Mari333]

5. oh, the same old shit it seems. pffft. change, my ass. nt