Return of the Son of Blackwater
| By Lucas O'Connor, Courage Campaign - May 12, 2008 9:06:06 AM PT |
| Also listed in: Courage Campaign Staff |
Cross posted at Calitics
By now, nobody should be surprised by the resiliency of Blackwater. They've come back from the brink so many times, it's easy to allow yourself to think they'll never really be gone. So this weekend's New York Times article on Blackwater's comeback might be both demoralizing and par for the course if it wasn't for the strong rhetorical pushback from members of Congress that line up encouragingly with local progress.
As the New York Times chronicles all the near death experiences that Blackwater has come through:
Nevertheless, signs indicate that, ever so slowly, the worm is turning. The article notes that the State Department renewed its contract largely for lack of other options, to which Rep. Henry Waxman retorted "I can't understand why Blackwater's contract was renewed. It seems to me the administration should have looked for others who could do the job, including the U.S. military."
Meanwhile, Rep. Jan Schakowsky continues to push her "Stop Outsourcing Security Act" which has elicited 12,470 signatures of support from the Courage Campaign petition to Speaker Pelosi.
And as Blackwater continues to face the grim possibility of existing in a world after Iraq and no-bid, no-accountability government contracts, they're trying with no small measure of desperation to diversify. That means new facilities, new sorts of contracts, new public image. But this is where the top-to-bottom pushback- from Schakowsky's bill to tomorrow's San Diego City Council hearing discussing Blackwater (10am if you're in town)- can be effective. Blackwater is at a public relations crossroads. Nobody- from fellow contractors to investment groups- want the headache. PR is such a problem that the New York Times notes "Mr. [Eric] Prince until recently seemed eager to tell his side of the story, and there were reports that he planned to write a book. But on Friday, Anne Tyrrell, a Blackwater spokeswoman, said Mr. Prince's book project had been put on hold."
Sunlight and tenacity can win this. It's already starting to expose the cracks in Blackwater's facade. It's just a matter of hanging in through all 12 rounds, because they won't go down without a fight.
By now, nobody should be surprised by the resiliency of Blackwater. They've come back from the brink so many times, it's easy to allow yourself to think they'll never really be gone. So this weekend's New York Times article on Blackwater's comeback might be both demoralizing and par for the course if it wasn't for the strong rhetorical pushback from members of Congress that line up encouragingly with local progress.
As the New York Times chronicles all the near death experiences that Blackwater has come through:
The State Department has just renewed its contract to provide security for American diplomats in Iraq for at least another year. Threats by the Iraqi government to strip Western contractors of their immunity from Iraqi law have gone nowhere. No charges have been brought in the United States against any Blackwater guard in the September shooting, either, and the F.B.I. agents in Baghdad charged with investigating whether Blackwater guards have committed any crimes under United States law are sometimes protected as they travel through Baghdad by Blackwater guards.
Nevertheless, signs indicate that, ever so slowly, the worm is turning. The article notes that the State Department renewed its contract largely for lack of other options, to which Rep. Henry Waxman retorted "I can't understand why Blackwater's contract was renewed. It seems to me the administration should have looked for others who could do the job, including the U.S. military."
Meanwhile, Rep. Jan Schakowsky continues to push her "Stop Outsourcing Security Act" which has elicited 12,470 signatures of support from the Courage Campaign petition to Speaker Pelosi.
And as Blackwater continues to face the grim possibility of existing in a world after Iraq and no-bid, no-accountability government contracts, they're trying with no small measure of desperation to diversify. That means new facilities, new sorts of contracts, new public image. But this is where the top-to-bottom pushback- from Schakowsky's bill to tomorrow's San Diego City Council hearing discussing Blackwater (10am if you're in town)- can be effective. Blackwater is at a public relations crossroads. Nobody- from fellow contractors to investment groups- want the headache. PR is such a problem that the New York Times notes "Mr. [Eric] Prince until recently seemed eager to tell his side of the story, and there were reports that he planned to write a book. But on Friday, Anne Tyrrell, a Blackwater spokeswoman, said Mr. Prince's book project had been put on hold."
Sunlight and tenacity can win this. It's already starting to expose the cracks in Blackwater's facade. It's just a matter of hanging in through all 12 rounds, because they won't go down without a fight.
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