Why is US still dealing with Blackwater?

[WillieW]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/us/22intel.html?_r=1&ref=world

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U.S. Still Using Security Firm It Broke With


WASHINGTON — Despite publicly breaking with an American private security company in Iraq, the State Department continues to award the company, formerly known as Blackwater, more than $400 million in contracts to fly its diplomats around Iraq, guard them in Afghanistan, and train security forces in antiterrorism tactics at its remote camp in North Carolina.

The contracts, one of which runs until 2011, illustrate the extent to which the United States government remains reliant on private contractors like Blackwater, now known as Xe (pronounced zee) Services, to conduct some of its most sensitive operations and protect some of its most vital assets.

Disclosures that the Central Intelligence Agency had used the company, which most people still call Blackwater, to help with a covert program to assassinate leaders of Al Qaeda have touched off a storm in Washington, with lawmakers demanding to know why this kind of work is being outsourced. New details about Xe’s involvement in the covert program emerged Friday.

The C.I.A. and the State Department are both trying to reduce their dependence on outside contractors, but the administration is also struggling to deal with an overstretched military and spy service. con't

[ZombieHorde]

1. Check out my poll.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6369987

[WillieW]

2. Thanks I voted.

[tularetom]

3. They have pictures of Obama with a goat?

[izquierdista]

4. Because Obama talks the talk

And walks like a 9-month old.

[polichick]

5. Read this article on my kindle this morning - very interesting...

It pretty much sucks that we're still paying these creeps ~ and yet the State Dept. and CIA can't seem to get by without them.

[rzemanfl]

6. Because you never know when you might want to have someone

whacked?

[flyarm]

7. about that "change thing"..........

neverrrrrrrrrrmind

[boppers]

8. What are the other options?

That's your answer right there.