More tidbits re: our new mercenary overlords, Blackwater. I purchased Jeremy Scahill's book on the topic, but haven't been able to start it yet.
Democrats pushed for the removal of the State Department's inspector general, as Blackwater maintained it had done nothing wrong in recruiting the official's brother as an advisory board member.
As Blackwater Worldwide faced criticism for recruiting an advisory board member who is the brother of the State Department's top watchdog, the private security company responded with its trademark defiance, saying the arrangement doesn't pose any ethical concerns.
The latest Blackwater crisis continued to escalate yesterday, with Democrats pushing for State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard's removal, while Blackwater and the brother maintained they had done nothing wrong. Mr. Krongard recused himself from Blackwater-related investigations Wednesday, after saying he had learned during a break in a congressional hearing that his brother, Alvin Krongard, had accepted a position on Blackwater's advisory board. Blackwater is under scrutiny for a Sept. 16 shooting incident in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqis dead.
[From Uproar Over Blackwater Escalates]
Blackwater, and its ideological buddies in the Republican Party, has never met a conflict of interest they couldn't ignore. I'm not sure if this particular complaint is even that big of a deal, yet based on the track record of the ethically-challenged Republican Party, we are right to be suspicious.
(Digg link here, which you can use if you are a non-subscriber to WSJ.com)
