Condoleezza Rice

The New York Times reported today that F.B.I. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause

Federal agents investigating the Sept. 16 episode in which Blackwater security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians have found that at least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules in effect for security contractors in Iraq, according to civilian and military officials briefed on the case.

Earlier this year, Congressman David Price, a Democrat from the NC 4th district pushed a provision that was included in the Defense Bill. The bill provides more “transparency and accountability in the government’s use of armed contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The Price provision would strengthen this bill and enable Congress with the ability to provide more oversight of these contractors.

Today on WUNC radio, Catherine Brand interviewed Congressman Price about the letter he sent to Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice asking for further inquiry into the incident. ( listen to the full interview here ) In the interview, Con. Price asks, “ If it turns out that Sec. Rice is not able to prosecute this case, do we cede jurisdiction to the Iraqi courts? We’ll be credible only if we have some way of bringing these people justice. Assuming that the investigation will provide that this is a prosecutable case, if not, the problem remains to be addressed at a later date…..If it turns out that they are not subject to US Civilian law, what are they subject to?”

Congressman Price ended the interview with this opinion, “If the investigation does reveal that the Blackwater contractors were in the wrong what will happen? In the past they would be fired and expelled from Iraq, this is not good enough for this case. The Iraqi government is asserting itself by saying we’re going to take charge of this. It doesn’t play into the suspension that these contract personnel are trigger happy, been shooting up crowds of civilians. Unfortunately reinforcing that narrative has the potential to jeopardize our mission and our troops.”

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing


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Why America went into Iraq is something for the pundits, academics and the politicians to discuss into the next century. What has happened there since our arrival is something I can only hope will be fully realized and understood by the American public and every elected official in our country.

From my personal experiences of living in Iraq for three years, I have concluded America’s leadership is solely responsible for the entire country of Iraq becoming a living hell of suffering, poverty, starvation and depravation, unimaginable to either Iraqi or U.S. citizen just prior to our arrival in Iraq in 2003.
(edited - RP)

Reagan used it, Scooter Libby used it, George Allen used it, Rumsfeld used it, Denny Hastert used it, Cheney threatened to use it and now Condi Rice is using it. When the truth gets in the way, apparently the best defense is, "I don't recall"!

There is a great article today in the Associated Press about Woodward's book. It seems Condi has her $1000 Ferragamo shoes in a bunch. The problem is that Woodward's book claims that:

But though Tenet and Black warned Rice in the starkest terms of the prospects for attack, she brushed them off, Woodward reiterated Monday. He told NBC's ''Today'' show that Black told him the two men were so emphatic, it amounted to ''holding a gun to her head'' and doing everything except pulling the trigger.

Remember that smoking gun they kept warning us about? It seems we have found it. A few excerpts from the AP article after the break.