Here is a video, with a cheery soundtrack, promoting
Blackwater’s extensive aviation assets in Iraq.
** RUMSFELD’S STANFORD APPOINTMENT ATTRACTS BIG PROTEST. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s appointment as a visiting fellow of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution has, quite predictably, caused a big protest. More than 2500 students and faculty have signed a petition against it, and the number is bound to grow.
Hoover has a somewhat anomalous role at Stanford, in most respects being much more conservative than the university as a whole, not unlike an American Enterprise Institute West. It’s also semi-autonomous, with a fellowship appointment like that of Rumsfeld — architect of the Iraq War — not needing to be approved by the university administration.
** BARRY BONDS WON’T BE BACK AS A GIANT. San Francisco Giants slugger barry Bonds, the all-time home run hitter whose late career is shadowed by steroids, just announced on his web site that this is his last season with the Giants. The team, he says, has decided not to bring him back next year. There’s a press conference scheduled for 5 PM.
Bonds is 43 and the Giants are mired in last place in the National League West. He’s hitting .279 this season with 28 homers — and leads the league in on-base average because so many pitchers still walk him, making the National League All-Stars again this season — but he doesn’t move nearly as well as he used to, needs more rest, and made over $15 million this season.
Bonds has 762 home runs for his career. He broke Hank Aaron’s career record on August 7th, as you watched here on NWN. The seven-time league MVP says he had hoped to end his career in San Francisco, where his father Bobby also starred and where his godfather, Willie May, was the superstar of his childhood. Now he aims to play elsewhere next season, probably as a designated hitter.
** DRAFT U.S. REPORT CRITICIZING MALIKI MYSTERIOUSLY LEAKS AMIDST BLACKWATER ROW. By one of those odd coincidences of politics, a draft report from the US Embassy critical of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for lack of progress on corruption within the Iraqi government was leaked to the iragslogger.com web site. The move comes in the midst of efforts to keep the controversial Blackwater private military firm functioning fully in Iraq in the wake of last weekend’s lethal incident on the streets of Baghdad. Maliki says Blackwater acted in “criminal” fashion and the Iraqi government suspended Blackwater’s license to operate in the country.
The US State Department, which of course runs the US Embassy in Baghdad, has become almost completely dependent upon Blackwater for the security of its personnel in Baghdad. So much for the traditional US Marine Corps detachments.
** HILLARY CLINTON’S BLOCK PARTY IN OAKLAND. Incidentally, I’m reminded that Hillary Clinton’s big event in downtown Oakland Sunday afternoon is not a rally per se, it’s a block party, an outing for the family with all that block party kind of stuff. It will still be interesting to compare the size and enthusiasm of her crowd with that of Barack Obama, who did a huge rally in downtown Oakland several months ago.
** AFL-CIO VOWS TO SPEND $200 MILLION ON 2008 NATIONAL ELECTIONS. America’s leading labor federation, the AFL-CIO, today announced that it will spend $200 million on next year’s national elections, primarily for the presidency but including the U.S. Senate and House. That’s a $50 million increase over its effort in 2004. It also plans to mobilized 200,000 volunteers.
That’s all for the general election. The AFL-CIO is neutral in the presidential primaries, although individual unions are free to choose their own candidates.
** CALIFORNIA GETS MITT ROMNEY FOR FIVE DAYS. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has ridden a wave of mostly unanswered early advertising to leads in Iowa and New Hampshire among Republicans, but has lagged in California and national polls. Now the new poll discussed in this morning’s column shows him tied for second, running just six points behind Rudy Giuliani.
And by coincidence, Romney, credited with saving the Winter Olympic Games in Utah early in the decade, is about to arrive in California for five days of campaigning. He’ll do a lot of fundraising, naturally, but he’s also going to do a fair amount of public campaigning, including several “Ask Mitt Anything” town halls. We’ll see how that last goes.
Unfortunately, his schedule is “for planning purposes only,” so I can’t tell you now what he’s going to do. But he will be campaigning in Southern California, Northern California, the Central Valley, and the state capital.
** HILLARY IN CALIFORNIA. Hillary Clinton returns to California — her husband was here a few days ago, for a private Hollywood fundraiser and an appearance with Arnold Schwarzenegger promoting their children’s healthy lifestyles project — for some, you guessed it, fundraising. And for a big rally. It’s Sunday afternoon in downtown Oakland. Barack Obama had a huge rally in downtown Oakland several months ago. It will be interesting to compare the two. Right now, she has a big lead on Obama in California, as seen in the poll discussed in this morning’s column.
** BLACKWATER BACK ON BAGHDAD STREETS, REQUIRING IRAQI APPROVAL FOR MOVEMENTS. Highly controversial Blackwater security operators are back on the streets of Baghdad today, in a limited capacity, accompanying State Department personnel who, in Iraq’s capital city, cannot protect themselves without their private security minders.
But their movements are limited and require Iraqi approval. Blackwater’s license to operate in Iraq has been suspended and the US and Iraq have formed a joint commission to determine any wrongdoing in an incident last weekend in which personnel guarding a State Department motorcade are said to have killed a number of civilians.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry issued a report that concluded that Blackwater operators in Baghdad’s Nisour Square started shooting after two mortar rounds landed nearby.
“They started shooting randomly from four positions in the square, killing 11 civilians and injuring 12 other,” Major General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the interior ministry spokesman. “The first one who was killed was a driver who failed to stop and then his wife,” Khalaf said.
The report also calls for the lifting of legal immunity for foreign security companies operating in Iraq, which was an early edict of the US provisional authority before Iraq got its own government up and running.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki calls the shootings last weekend a “criminal act” by Blackwater.
Blackwater is responsible for security for US embassy and CIA station personnel in Iraq. But they play a more expansive role than that.
From the Blackwater mission statement: We are not simply a “private security company.” We are a professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations firm who provides turnkey solutions. We assist with the development of national and global security policies and military transformation plans. We can train, equip and deploy public safety and military professionals, build live-fire indoor/outdoor ranges, MOUT facilities and shoot houses, create ground and aviation operations and logistics support packages, develop and execute canine solutions for patrol and explosive detection, and can design and build facilities both domestically and in austere environments abroad.
Blackwater lives its core values of excellence, efficiency, execution, and teamwork. In doing this, we have become the most responsive, cost-effective means of affecting the strategic balance in support of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere.
Note: MOUT is the acronym for Military Operations on Urban Terrain.
** RECORD OIL PRICE, AGAIN. Oil continued its surge yesterday, boosted by bullish geopolitical uncertainties around Iraq and Iran and the evacuation of crews from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico threatened by heavy weather.
Crude oil reached yet another new record high of $84.10 during the day, settling at a record $83.32 upon the close of trading.
** AL QAEDA’S AMERICAN PRISONERS STILL NOT LOCATED. American troops are now in the midst of a 129th day of searching for the remaining two US soldiers captured by Al Qaeda in an ambush south of Baghdad. They have had no luck so far. A video put out by Al Qaeda forces in Iraq claims that all three men were executed after being captured. But, with the exception of the Californian found floating in the Euphrates River, that claim can’t be confirmed. The US high command in Baghdad has revealed that ID cards for the other two American prisoners were found in an Al Qaeda safehouse on June 9th.
** Track global and national energy prices in near real time via Bloomberg. Most crude oil prices remain in record territory, in the $81 to $84 per barrel range.
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Video! Can’t wait to watch it.
Video! Can’t wait to watch it.
Jesus! Blackwater has its own air force in Iraq.
Why, yes, it does.
Ooh, yummy, boys with toys.
I think the video needs more machine gun fire.
As we on the left have been warning for years, privatizing military operations leads to more war crimes. Blackwater is a mercenary group that redefines the rules of engagement in the ‘war of terror’ — terrorizing civilians, developing a cadre of foreign fighters to defend a puppet regime, murdering Iraqis with impunity. Blackwater terrorists need to be prosecuted and jailed, their assets seized and bank accounts frozen. Blackwater is a terrorist organization; the weak and barely functioning Iraq ‘government’ will be told to just accept it and allow Blackwater to keep functioning, along with the other private militias, bought-off phony sheiks and warlord profiteers. I wonder how many lobbyists, current and former Bush cabal officials and congressmembers are also profiting from supporting this extremely vile mutation of their military industrial complex run amok?
Worth reading is the transcript from Democracy Now of the debate between Jeremy Scahill and Blackwater’s Doug Brooks, in which Scahill rips apart Blackwater’s phony claims of being a legitimate security force.
Can Iraq (or Anyone) Hold Blackwater Accountable for Killing Iraqi Civilians? A Debate on the Role of Private Contractors in Iraq
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/18/140201
I almost agree with Paul Burton. Oh, no! lol
Say it isn’t so …
Blackwater sounds like Omni Consumer Products in the Robocop movies, with a blurring of public and private, security and military. The role of private contractors will likely be a part of the post-mortem of the neocons’ strategy in Iraq, especially once Bush is out of office and a lot of the dirty linen slowly gets exposed.
I guffaw at Bush’s recent description of his plans for a democracy center he wants to put together after he is out of office, where folks from nascent democracies come to learn nation building, etc. Words fail me.
P.S. – per our ongoing dialogue, Brasky and Hap it does seem surface storage threatens to stall progress on water. Which is tragic as inaction puts California at risk of trillions in economic damage that can be avoided for a relative small upfront investment (a la fixing the dikes before Katrina vs. having New Orleans flooded).
Blackwater sounds like Omni Consumer Products in the Robocop movies, with a blurring of public and private, security and military. The role of private contractors will likely be a part of the post-mortem of the neocons’ strategy in Iraq, especially once Bush is out of office and a lot of the dirty linen slowly gets exposed.
I guffaw at Bush’s recent description of his plans for a democracy center he wants to put together after he is out of office, where folks from nascent democracies come to learn nation building, etc. Words fail me.
P.S. – per our ongoing dialogue, Brasky and Hap it does seem surface storage threatens to stall progress on water. Which is tragic as inaction puts California at risk of trillions in economic damage that can be avoided for a relative small upfront investment (a la fixing the dikes before Katrina vs. having New Orleans flooded).
Is “private contractor” a euphemism for “private militia”?
I fear that what we have been told of Blackwater is on the tip of an iceberg. Why does it need that fleet of aircraft in Iraq? What kind of crazy mission regarding providing the most efficient strategic balance of power in the world is that for a security firm?
If Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush had not evaded their own military service, they might understand how deranged this is.
I fear that what we have been told of Blackwater is on the tip of an iceberg. Why does it need that fleet of aircraft in Iraq? What kind of crazy mission regarding providing the most efficient strategic balance of power in the world is that for a security firm?
If Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush had not evaded their own military service, they might understand how deranged this is.
I fear that what we have been told of Blackwater is on the tip of an iceberg. Why does it need that fleet of aircraft in Iraq? What kind of crazy mission regarding providing the most efficient strategic balance of power in the world is that for a security firm?
If Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush had not evaded their own military service, they might understand how deranged this is.
I meant to say Mission Statement.
Sorry for the double-posting.
Someone explain to me why I should a freakin’ tear when a Blackwater employee gets killed and then incinerated while his remains hang from a bridge?
Can’t get to worked up over someone who signed up to be sent to a warzone for big dollars.
The L.A. Times has a good article on the whole Blackwater situation. This quote sums up how the actions of the contractors have undermined our image among Iraqis and help build support for the insurgents:
Military officials express resentment at what they view as renegade behavior by private security contractors, including running Iraqis off the road, throwing water bottles and a quick trigger finger. “We pay for their indiscretions every day,” one U.S. officer said on condition of anonymity.
I was in Vegas a couple of days ago. I was lucky enough to meet a beautiful local woman who supports Romney’s run for president. I didn’t realize that Romney had an unlimited campaign budget. Romney is very popular in Nevada. I hope I have the opportunity to drive back to Vegas for their republican primary. What an interesting group of supporters he has.
An unaccountable mercenary army with an air force is scary.
Um, well, Romney, is one of four Republicans who have held leads in the Nevada caucus so far this year …
>carole w :
I was in Vegas a couple of days ago. I was lucky enough to meet a beautiful local woman who supports Romney’s run for president. I didn’t realize that Romney had an unlimited campaign budget. Romney is very popular in Nevada. I hope I have the opportunity to drive back to Vegas for their republican primary. What an interesting group of supporters he has.
Sep 21, 2007 02:09 PM
Are the Republicans going to put up a flip flopper for President?
I think that some of the blackwater blowback is simply resentment of its effectivenss by some in the Malaki government, who may remember getting hammered by blackwater security folks earlier on. Maybe now they want to settle the score. I don’t think blackwater is an unaccountable mercenary force. I have a friend who worked for them for a short while. He was a 24-year veteran of SEAL Team 6. I know he would be pretty offended to hear himself being so characterized. He spent more time in firefights on behalf of the US than most have spent in the service.
Was the leak of the report critical of Maliki pushback for the pushback?
It’s so annoying when the puppet starts eying the strings, scissors in hand.
Please, Mr. Maliki, just ask us to leave, give Dubya his cover, and let’s end this charade.
Earlier this summer David Halberstam met an untimely death. His final work, a history of the Korean War, is soon to be published. The New York Times Book Review section takes as look at it this Sunday. Those interested in the work will enjoy the write.
Cheers,
Solon
Earlier this summer David Halberstam met an untimely death. His final work, a history of the Korean War, is soon to be published. The New York Times Book Review section takes as look at it this Sunday. Those interested in the work will enjoy the write.
Cheers,
Solon
I liked how Ackerman used the movie “300″ as an analogy to the CA Senate GOP. He should have paid attention as to how it ended for the Spartans.
Ackerman proved for all to see in real time that he is no leader. Maldonado and Ackerman were the only GOP senators to vote for the budget. A real leader would have delivered the entire caucus. Ackerman delivered a senator who had already come to his senses and himself. A pretty poor showing.
Maliki depends on Blackwater. Hopefully he feels humiliated by this and redoubles efforts to fix his own security problems himself. It’s hard to be optimistic; Maliki comes across as extremely lazy.
Maliki should help start a domestic version (Redwater?), closely tied to the part of Iraq which is still a US ally.
New video today?
Maybe Bill shouldn’t work weekends.
There’s a thought.
Probably tomorrow.
>Jonas Blane :
New video today?
Sep 22, 2007 10:32 AM
Our man in Baghdad. He doesn’t seem to be the greatest, does he?
>Sam Loomis :
Maliki depends on Blackwater. Hopefully he feels humiliated by this and redoubles efforts to fix his own security problems himself. It’s hard to be optimistic; Maliki comes across as extremely lazy.
Maliki should help start a domestic version (Redwater?), closely tied to the part of Iraq which is still a US ally.
Sep 22, 2007 07:24 AM
The situation was more complicated, as I’ve reported.
>Elroy El :
I liked how Ackerman used the movie “300″ as an analogy to the CA Senate GOP. He should have paid attention as to how it ended for the Spartans.
Ackerman proved for all to see in real time that he is no leader. Maldonado and Ackerman were the only GOP senators to vote for the budget. A real leader would have delivered the entire caucus. Ackerman delivered a senator who had already come to his senses and himself. A pretty poor showing.
Sep 21, 2007 09:53 PM
Thanks, Solon, good to hear from you!
>Sacramento Solon :
Earlier this summer David Halberstam met an untimely death. His final work, a history of the Korean War, is soon to be published. The New York Times Book Review section takes as look at it this Sunday. Those interested in the work will enjoy the write.
Cheers,
Solon
Sep 21, 2007 07:34 PM
Thanks, Solon, good to hear from you!
>Sacramento Solon :
Earlier this summer David Halberstam met an untimely death. His final work, a history of the Korean War, is soon to be published. The New York Times Book Review section takes as look at it this Sunday. Those interested in the work will enjoy the write.
Cheers,
Solon
Sep 21, 2007 07:34 PM
It sure looks that way.
>wilbur :
Was the leak of the report critical of Maliki pushback for the pushback?
It’s so annoying when the puppet starts eying the strings, scissors in hand.
Please, Mr. Maliki, just ask us to leave, give Dubya his cover, and let’s end this charade.
Sep 21, 2007 04:30 PM
Well, they are not in the military chain of command and get a lot of complaints from the military.
>Hap Hazard :
I think that some of the blackwater blowback is simply resentment of its effectivenss by some in the Malaki government, who may remember getting hammered by blackwater security folks earlier on. Maybe now they want to settle the score. I don’t think blackwater is an unaccountable mercenary force.
It isn’t the best to have Blackwater playing such a big role. I would much rather see the bulk of their operations run by Regular Army or NG troops. This is another Rumsfeld failing, it seems to me.
Nevertheless, whatever Rumsfeld’s faults, which there are many, it doesn’t excuse the crushing of academic freedom by the darlings at Stanford who are in favor of academic freedom and dissent only so long as they pertain to their own views and politics.
Bill Bradley :
Thanks, Solon, good to hear from you!
Bill…
Thanks.
Here’s a link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/books/review/Frankel-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Also, for those of you who enjoy reading the NY Times on-line, it’s now a totally free site as they removed all of the fee based services earlier this week.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, GO CUBS!
What is your opinion, Solon, about the Giants’ decision to say goodbye to Bonds? I am happy they made that choice. I was afraid they may bring him back next year to play first base or something.
Hap,
I think they made the right decision. They have a very talented young pitching rotation and it’s time they start rebuilding the team around them.
Mr. Bonds will find employment in the American League and reach the 3,000 hit milestone.
Cal won big again!
Yep.
Unfortunately, true.
>Sacramento Solon :
Hap,
I think they made the right decision. They have a very talented young pitching rotation and it’s time they start rebuilding the team around them.
Mr. Bonds will find employment in the American League and reach the 3,000 hit milestone.
Sep 22, 2007 04:17 PM
He still talks of himself as a left fielder.
We forget now, but Barry Bonds was once a great base stealer. He was really very fast. While speed goes down some in your 40s, he’s slowed more than perhaps he needed to.
>Hap Hazard :
What is your opinion, Solon, about the Giants’ decision to say goodbye to Bonds? I am happy they made that choice. I was afraid they may bring him back next year to play first base or something.
Sep 22, 2007 03:05 PM
I haven’t read the NY Times columnists in years because of that fee system.
I read mainly for information rather than opinion, so it was no loss to me.
>Also, for those of you who enjoy reading the NY Times on-line, it’s now a totally free site as they removed all of the fee based services earlier this week.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, GO CUBS!
Sep 22, 2007 02:17 PM
I agree on both.
>Hap Hazard :
It isn’t the best to have Blackwater playing such a big role. I would much rather see the bulk of their operations run by Regular Army or NG troops. This is another Rumsfeld failing, it seems to me.
Nevertheless, whatever Rumsfeld’s faults, which there are many, it doesn’t excuse the crushing of academic freedom by the darlings at Stanford who are in favor of academic freedom and dissent only so long as they pertain to their own views and politics.
Sep 22, 2007 01:07 PM
I agree on both.
>Hap Hazard :
It isn’t the best to have Blackwater playing such a big role. I would much rather see the bulk of their operations run by Regular Army or NG troops. This is another Rumsfeld failing, it seems to me.
Nevertheless, whatever Rumsfeld’s faults, which there are many, it doesn’t excuse the crushing of academic freedom by the darlings at Stanford who are in favor of academic freedom and dissent only so long as they pertain to their own views and politics.
Sep 22, 2007 01:07 PM
Bill Bradley :
I haven’t read the NY Times columnists in years because of that fee system.
I read mainly for information rather than opinion, so it was no loss to me
—-
It’s my understand that they have also opened up the on-line archives.
You might also be interesting in knowing that the Halberstam book has been released.