Protecting Blackwater

The news that the government of Iraq has (supposedly) banned Blackwater from working in Iraq has generated a lot of press. Even with the O.J. action hammering at the door, CNN had Blackwater as their internet lead story, and it's had a prominent place on most news sites.

The NYT had this internet headline for this article:

U.S. Contractor Banned by Iraq Over Shootings

followed by this text:

The Iraqi government’s authority to bar Blackwater USA, a security company that was involved in the deaths of eight Iraqis, appeared to be in question.

Appeared to whom, youm? Then there was this paragraph:

Because Blackwater guards are so central to the American operation here, having provided protection for numerous American ambassadors, it was not clear on Monday whether the United States would agree to end a relationship with a trusted protector so quickly. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker praised private security companies in a speech on Sept. 11, referring to Blackwater by name.

Well, Ambassador Crocker, you'd better praise them, they have a contract to protect your ass. And Blackwell is so central that the US might just have to lay down the law to Maliki so quickly, and if he doesn't like it, pop a cap in his ass. (I do the bolding around here, even in quotes.)

Let us face it, Blackwater is a big reason we're still in Iraq, now. It's a cash cow. All the oil dreams have gone up in smoke, and keeping 160,000 troops in Iraq to protect Blackwell's thugs still means a big money maker for Cheney's boys. But when troop levels come down, and they will soon, Blackwater will be gone, whether Maliki likes it or not.

That's what the surge is all about, protecting Blackwater.