Blackwater founder, CEO resigns

[spanone]

guess they made their fortunes while the 'getting was good'


(CNN) — Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater Worldwide security firm, announced on Monday that he has resigned as head of the company, recently renamed Xe.

“We have had incredible success in the fields of security, stability operations, aviation, training and logistics,” Prince wrote in an e-mail sent to the company’s employees and independent contractors.

“These successes are the result of your hard work and commitment. Looking ahead, I am confident that through your continued dedication and our constant re-evaluation of operations, we will continue to lead the way.”

Prince said he will be replaced as the company’s CEO by Danielle Esposito, who has worked for the firm and its partners for nearly 10 years. Blackwater/Xe’s president, Gary Jackson, is also stepping down to retire, Prince said.



http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/

[AlCzervik]

1. He'll be back, count on it.

[arcadian]

7. Just like Philip Morris changed there name to Altria

He's figured out a game winning plan to make beaucoup $$$. He will start a new company somewhere very secretively, five years from now you will hear about how this new company won a bid for a security contract in the Congo or some other conflict zone and then Erik Prince will re-emerge.

[arcadian]

10. Wrong spot

[AlCzervik]

11. Just like Amway changed their name to Quixtar.

[Sal Minella]

19. Yes, he didn't mention "spending more time with the family" at all, did he. Hmmm.

Didn't mention any reason for leaving. So it must be something he doesn't particularly want people to know about, and I'd bet you've got it.

Reminds me of the glass-tailed lizard, who leaves his twitching tail behind in the dog's mouth to distract it, while the lizard runs away to safety and promptly grows a new tail.

[arcadian]

20. The Blackwater brand is synonymous with murder and looting of public funds.

They are rebranding. Prince will be back.

[Taverner]

8. He'll be like many other government contractors, take his $$ and start a new company

[Dollface]

18. His sister, Betsy DeVos, was chair of the Michigan Repub Party, is married to Dick DeVos of Amway

fame. Just in case you were wondering.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/holland_native_and_blackwater.html

[cloudbase]

2. Time to take the money and run.

The future isn't as bright for the company.

[Warpy]

3. Translation:

"It's time to grab the money and run."

I hope he runs someplace that will arrest him and deliver him to the World Court, but it's a very faint hope.

These greasy fake Christians do enough homework to avoid extradition.

[gratuitous]

4. Nothing accidental happens in this sphere

Prince is about to be indicted for something particularly heinous, and is either being forced out or preparing to make his getaway.

[ensho]

6. yeah, somethings up

nt

[conscious evolution]

23. My first thought also.

And when it happens I would be willing to bet that it will be tied to the old name of his company in order to appear as a seperate company from the current incarnation of blackwater.
In other words-"Today the Blackwater Corporation was indicted..." instead of "Today the XE Corporation was indicted...".

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

5. I suppose he'll spend his life looking over his shoulder

Imagine the people who are after this shady shitbag.

[MineralMan]

9. Ah...he's off to Paraguay,

to prepare the way for Bushco, no doubt.

[arcadian]

12. Who wants to guess the name of Erik Prince's new contracting firm?

The one that is off the "family books" hovering somewhere off the radar. Right now it's a shell, but it will be big in 5-10 years. I'll give it a shot, something like "Conflict Matrix Consulting LLC."

[notadmblnd]

13. So, is he running off to start up another company that will kill for profit?

[spanone]

14. i wonder how much money he made during the bu$h* years

i wonder how much he 'kicked back'

[blue_onyx]

27. Maybe he's getting ready to run for MI Governor

That's what his brother-in-law did after he stepped down as CEO of Amway.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

15. With impending loss of the Iraq contracts (that I assume are the huge majority of the business),

and their reputation shit, and an administration and congress not friendly to their interests (at least that is not their BFF like Bush/Cheney) in place, the prospects for the company going forward are dismal even compared to the rest of American business.

Prince is a young guy who lucked out in that his smallish business became a hundred million dollar one overnight due to Bush and Iraq. Game's up now, so time to grab whatever cash he can, strip the copper wiring out of the walls, and run.

[MineralMan]

17. That and the shrinking of the Religious Right organizations,

too. Dobson's bailing at the same time. It's as if they understand that their money tree has been chopped down by the new order. So, they're grabbing their ill-gotten gains and scramming.

Since Prince is part of the whole Dominionist circle, his leaving is just another card falling in the collapse of the whole house.

See ya in Hell, Erik.

[originalpckelly]

16. Off to be the head of a rightwing coup.

Try Cambell's Chickenhawklecoup.

What's a coup without a paramilitary force? What's that shaggy, business plot?

[thereismore]

21. He did not like the wimpy "Zee" moniker. nt

[Solly Mack]

22. Fucker

[otohara]

24. I'll Second That

Fucker

[spanone]

25. yep, that's him in a nutshell.

[lunatica]

26. He's off to create another killing machine, only

it'll be one free of scandal. At least for a while.

Which means he's abandoning Blackwater to its fate while he takes the money to start over again. He's learned from his mistakes and is ready to start over. Expect a much lower profile.