Brent Budowsky: Special Prosecutor Needed for Blackwater, the Republican Mercenary Company

[babylonsister]

Special Prosecutor Needed for Blackwater, the Republican Mercenary Company
by Brent Budowsky | Sep 27 2007


Democratic Congressional leaders should demand, Republican leaders should support, and President Bush should accept the naming of a special prosecutor in the Blackwater case as a condition of confirming a new attorney general.

If the use of mercenary forces in Iraq on such an enormous scale is unprecedented in the history of the American military, and the sheer number of revelations and investigations of scandal regarding mercenary conduct grows daily, and the lack of any prosecutions in this matter raises the reddest of red flags, what is striking is the relationship between a billion- dollar contractor and the Republican Party.

Let's be clear: Blackwater, like all suspects, should receive the presumption of innocence. But let's also be clear: This whole matter stinks like a rotten egg, drenched in blood, as part of a catastrophically failed policy that more than any conflict in American history is conducted outside the rule of law.

We learn daily of new allegations of wrongdoing that go back several years, without even one prosecution, without even one conviction, and without even one case being thoroughly vetted through normal investigative procedures until recent hours.

Should anybody trust the Bush administration to investigate this honorably, given its record of misconduct -- a record that only begins with what Gen. Antonio Taguba suggests is a continuing cover-up of the crimes of Abu Ghraib?

Looking at the history and current actions of Blackwater, its ownership and management, its related companies and interests of family members close to the company, what is revealed is a billion-dollar-level contractor surrounded by Republican campaign donations and a revolving door of Republican officials.

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http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/10159

[Richard Steele]

1. K&R