Washington (CNN) - The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee plans to unleash a withering attack Wednesday on private contractors working for the company formerly known as Blackwater in Afghanistan, accusing them of flouting regulations and endangering the U.S. mission.
Key to beating the Taliban in Afghanistan will be the ability of U.S. forces to win support from the Afghan people, many of whom do not distinguish between U.S. contractors and the U.S. military, Sen. Carl Levin will say, according to an advance text of his remarks.
"If we are going to win that struggle, we need to know that our contractor personnel are adequately screened, supervised and held accountable - because in the end, the Afghan people will hold us responsible for their actions," the Michigan Democrat will say.
"If we don't fix the problems of oversight and make sure contractors like Blackwater play by the rules and live up to their commitments - we'll be doing a disservice to our troops by making their already difficult and dangerous job even more so."
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Who gave Blackwater a blank check? Oh wait, now I remember.
I was just about to post in another thread that if people think the amount of contractors in Homeland Security is shocking, wait until they take a look at the military!
If conservatives really want to cut taxes and eliminate government waste, they should start with the military. The military is the single largest part of the government, and the most wasteful, but I wonder if some Republicans really get that.
Lamb what? Oh you mean lambaste !
Of course this slimy guttersnipe is against our military being effective also in order to enhance the libertard agenda of making us all dependent on Obama and the libertards. He is disgusting and should be tried for treason. Same with Al Gore, when is Congress going to investigate him for perjury for his testimony on climate change, when is the Academy going to either take the Oscar back or change the category to Science Fiction, when is the Nobel Prize Committee going to take the money and medal back and admit they made another mistake.
Why does the US Army need the support of mercenaries anyway? Are they better funded, better trained, better equipped than the Army?
The only logical explanation is that they are available to do jobs the Army cannot do because of human-rights limitations – all in the interest of Halliburton and Co.
Well why don't the good Sen. Levin take his fellow committee members and set up shop in Kabul Afghanistan for a year or two, without security and he can try to placate the Afghan people, of course he would most likely get killed and strung up atop some bridge like those Blackwater employees in Iraq.
The problem is Sen. Levin is that the Taliban and those like them don't want to play by your rules, you sir and your fellow liberals are still in that pre 9/11 mindset which would just get a lot of good Americans killed.
We never ever should have allowed independent contractors in a war zone to begin with. If we don't have enough personnel in the military to do the job, then reinstitute the draft. That way everyone has the same chain of command.
And Haliburton's sins? They're just going to get a walk?
When you fight a war, you have to do things, that others may find fault with. Problem is.....they weren't there, and they are second-guessing what needed to be done.
Blackwater isn't squeaky clean, but in war, who is?
What??? You democraps have not convicted all those evil, criminal Blackwater people yet??? We all know they are just a branch of the Bush/Cheney worldwide takeover of big money, so why are you still allowing them to operate???
This is what happens when you send mercenaries to do military jobs.
why should tax payers pay for this when the money should be going to our troops instead.
Another Bush mess and give away like Halliburton and left for this President to clean up.
And some of you want Republicans to regain power again. What is wrong with you?
This private army should be dismantled NOW.They are a clear and present danger to all Americans.They also cost tax payers enormous amounts of money and liability in law suits.I dont hear a squeak from the right on this issue,guess the constitution is only called upon when it serves their purposes.
It is unbelievable that the government would unleash companies like Blackwater and Halliburton with absolute no oversight. It is unbelievable until you remember who was in control when the multi billion dollar no bid contracts were awarded.