and when the war money dries up.....what will become of all these mercenaries??

"...just as the insurgency was gathering steam..."

why is the word insurgency still being used?...is it not a resistance movement by the iraqi people defending their nation against the imperial aggressions of ruthless nations?...

it would be nice if lefty media people would step outside the narrow language of the military and the mainstream media and name things what they really are...

"why is the word insurgency still being used?…" Because that is what it is. An insurgency is a rebellion against a government by a group that is not recognized as a beligerent. Textbook definition of what is going on in Iraq.

BTW, there is no war. Illegal invasion, illegal occupation. Congress has not declared war and Iraq is an ally. The word war is powerful, so much so, invoking it shuts down reasonable debate. The majority of Americans understand that just because Cheney/Bush/Rove say there is war, that doesn't mean there is one. Without an actual war, Pres Nuts has no "war powers." All he wanted to be was a "war president." It's time to take that little prize away from him, if only to watch him throw a temper tantrum.

frank's right: so when the illegal occupation money dries up what will become of the 150,000 + mercenaries?

Hey, the money will NEVER dry up for the mercenaries. Not sure if you know it, but the US is indebt 8 Trillion. What is another trillion worth in time? about 5 years. The US has already made plans to stay indefinately. It's the oil. Maybe, the gasoline at the pump may stay about the same, but we will have descending quality of heath care, education, social services and infrastruture. Don't forget the US military needs oil for it's gunships, fighter jets, tanks, humvees, battleships, etc.

Blackwater, etc are staffed mainly by Ku Kluxers and White Aryans from the prison industrial/military industrial sub-CULT. They have been working on this race war a long time, mainly since the successful Beatle-led social uplift of the 60-70's, which really made these people a malignant vestige upon the human race.
It's them against the world here. Who you rootin for ?

Goose2: The word "Resistance" was used early on in the Iraq War by a number of journalists, however, several key news outlets decided that "Resistance" had too many positive connotations because it was associated with the various "Resistance" movements, such as the French Resistance, in Europe against the Third Reich in World War II.

There is something romantic and heroic in the idea of ordinary citizens banding together to fight against and sabotage a foreign power invading their homeland to steal their resources-- n'est pas?

The powers-that-be decided to put the kabosh on "Resistance" by promoting use of the word "Insurgency" and discouraging reporters from using the word "Resistance".

But an occupation in a war of aggression, by any other name, still stinks to high heaven.

What we are seeing today is that the American military is becoming a dinosaur. The privatization and outsourcing of our military jobs and responsibilities are steps toward our military of the future. Americans will only be officers in the future military. The enlisted ranks will consist of any one who can pass a test and sign a contract. Just like other domestic labor jobs (nurses, programmers, gardeners but not doctors))the enlisted men will have to start competing with foreigners for their salary and benefits. It won't take long to have an enlisted military made of of those who will work for the lowest wages and lowest benefits and without any union representation. It will be another job that we are told Americans don't want to do. The military will still be "controlled" by the government, but it will be a military with allegiance to no one. But this is better for the government because it's always the enlisted men who push up the body count. Now if the enlisted men are all foreigners Americans won't balk at the numbers of dead. It's much easier to prosecute a war without having to consider any body counts. We've already stopped counting the other side. It won't be long before we stop counting our side. Except for the occasional officer who dies and can be made into a national hero.
Hoa binh

Historically, unemployed mercenaries turn on their former employers. I'm told that's why slaughtering the mercenaries was a historically-accepted best practice after victory for empire-builders of many stripes.

namvet67: We already don't count the dead contractors (like the four unfortunates in Fallujah). It's estimated that somewhere between 400 and 700 military contractors (many of them from the U.S.) have been killed in Iraq, but precise numbers are not available.

So, we're already not counting "our side", that is, if you think the mercenaries are actually on our side instead of merely on our payroll.

But, remote-controlled robotic tanks with 360-degree video and command feeds are not far off...

Goose 2

my dictionary (Random House Webster's College Dictionary)disagrees with your textbook. If the U.S. Army and Marines are battling insurgents, then they are battling U.S. Citizens on U.S. soil.

I count them fighting the new government in Baghdad which they are. We of course are supporting the new government and in fact created them, but I think that the goal of the insurgents is a new government without us there. BTW, I think they should get that too...

Let's pull out the troops and leave the mercenaries. First let's take away everything that identifies them as Americans.

Author is a hack of sorts. Military (behemoths) were what we were warned about in the 50s. She might have not read 'The Pentagon Papers'. Private contractors run and control our Government.

Sorry Goose,

"new" government says it all. You Lose.

Sorry Goose,

"new" government says it all. You lose!

Edit feature doesn't seem to work.

I don't think we can even blame the mercs. Most are probably former US military, and would rather make the same amount of money as mall security guards here in der Heimat....I mean Homeland... if our economy was such that war wasn't so profitable, real estate so expensive, etc.

As for the money drying up, so long as corporations and US politicians can operate outside of the law, Geneva conventions, etc. they'll rely on violence to achieve their ends. The tax subsidy of war may dry up, but then the major corporations will just pick up the extra tab -- and simply pass the cost of war in bringing the product to market onto consumers.

Basically, we're hosed unless we can return to rule of law.

The Bushleague is using Iraq as a Live Fire Exercise to train those mercenaries for the day when they get redeployed to perform "Homeland Security" protection in America.

They already got away with deploying them in New Orleans post Katrina.

All they are waiting for is a good excuse for a "National Emergency".

Or, perhaps they will discover that the 2008 Election ballot counting needs to be "Protected" just as they did in Ohio in 2004.

I see where Blackwater raise $48B as it went public via IPO today. Now all the mutual funds in your IRAs will help support rent-a-killers and possibly a police state somewhere in the future.
What would Louis Rukeyser have had to say about that?

Did someone actually blame the Beatles for all this??????

Mercenaries are the sign of the end times for our nation. Historians will argue if it was the corruption, the financial mismanagement, or the rejection of democratic principles that was the first to go.

"Iraq for Sale"..a fantastic film about the problem of contractors:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7914117733846316477&q=iraq+for+sale&total=238&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=4

In Money we Trust. war is always bout money, either oil either to sale weapon.it's all bout the money, isn't it US core value.

What are we waiting for? Invest in KBR and get rich. War is good for business including the mortuary business.

Ah yes, the Rise and Fall of the Roman - er, American Empire. Even at it's peak, Rome was already in decline. Makes sense really because you can't stay on top forever. I give the American Empire maybe another 150 years before it collapses on itself. Of course, who cares? It's a future generation's problem.

it is of my opinion that Elizebeth Sullivan is contracted by the Bush administration and therefore is not truly a journalist. Clinton wasn't the president who started war by contractors. it was our beloved vice-president Dickless Cheney when he worked for George Bush 1st. In 1991 he had Bush make an executive order stating that the pentagon could contract with the military and get paid for jobs that were beneath the soldier-like cooking, washing, ect. ect. and let the soldier kill, while the company Cheney started(Haliburtan) was the first to contract these types of jobs with the pentagon.So when Sullivan said it was Clinton who began this type of contracting, she doesn't know what she is talking about or is on the Bush administration's payroll like a hundred other supposedly journalists that took the money and made jounalism what it is today. you wonder if they are true journalists or were they paid for their particular article by a lawless Bush-Cheney administration. when Cheney is on a particular political tv show, you can tell when he's lying, he looks down at the table and can't look the host in their eyes and spews out one lie after another and the host never questions that come out of Dickless Cheney's mouth. if they do, they'll be fired by the owners of the tv channels. Verizon owns CBS-which gives 99% of their money to the Republican cult party, same as GE-who owns NBC, and Disney, which owns ABC and of course Merdock which owns channel 2. So now when i read an article in any newspaper or common dreams, i question the author and can pretty much figure out whether they've been paid by outside sources or are truly a pure journalist that writes what he sees and doesn't sell his soul to the highest bidder.

On the Financial pages today:
Blackstone rakes it in

Blackstone Group shares begin trading today after the private equity firm raised $4.13 billion in its IPO. Blackstone priced the stock at $31 a share -- near the top of its expected range -- giving the newly public company a value of $33 billion. Investors shrugged off congressional moves to block the IPO and raise Blacktone's tax rate. "There is intense focus from investors, from Washington, and from other private equity firms that want to make the same leap," said Peter Shabecoff of Atlantic Street Capital Management. (AP in Yahoo! Finance) Blackstone archrival Kohlberg Kravis Roberts moved to explore its own IPO.

This is not war on the cheap! In fact it is fast growing to be a very expensive war! From what I can see all of these private contrators are driving the costs through the ceiling. They always do when private business gets into government areas. Because they are in it to make money as fast as they can before the 'gravy train' ends. They don't really care how they do it either. The American taxpayer is getting it in the shorts from these rip off firms. My husband used to work construction before he retired. When the job was 'cost plus' (which is what these contrators are)and meaning it was federally funded the money was freer than if someone else did it. The costs always soar out of control. The waste of equipment in Iraq is horrendous. The kind of money these hired thugs make is out of this world compared to the average soldier. But, I know this privatization of war is another Republican rip-off. That's all they think about is deregulating and privatizing everyone so big business can make a bundle off the American taxpayer. This war is not turning out to be cheap in the long run. It never does when private business gets their greedy fingers into the pot. In fact, as far as I can see it would probably be cheaper if they left the private contractor's out of it!

Red Elephant: I agree, we have the right to leave our country, anytime we desire. We also have the right of free speech, the right to practice any religion we so choose, the right to assemble and "peacfully" protest and the right to vote. We have many other rights and we also have the right to think and understand when our elected are committing impeachable crimes. I do not support Islamic extremests or any others who would attempt to take away our freedoms, nor do I believe the vast majority of the people who write their opinions on this website support them.

I respect your right to express your opinion Red Elephant, I do suggest you should consider opening both your mind and your eyes, and see and learn what is actually occuring in DC and within our government. If you should seek and find the truth, you may have a different opinion.

One very good source of the truth in this regard, is a recently released book written by Lee Iacooa, titled: "Where Have All The Leaders Gone." Check your library and see if they have it; if you read it, you will discover that Lee Iacocca has many of the same opinions as the vast majority of the people who visit this website. For one, he believes our president is a fool and has likely committed impeachable acts. I do not believe many would classify Mr.Iacooca as a flaming, left wing liberal. He is a highly respected American leader and doer.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Blackstone Group shares spiked more than 20 percent Friday as investors scrambled for a piece of the sixth-richest initial public offering in U.S. history.

Chief Executive Stephen Schwarzman now controls a firm whose market value stands at about $40 billion. His personal wealth also skyrocketed, with a 24 percent stake in Blackstone's management partnership worth around $8 billion in midday trading, on top of the roughly $449 million he cashed out in the IPO.

Its two hours before the market closes and Blackstone is up $4.97 on nearly a billion shares traded. I guess our fellow Countrymen think Blackstone is just fine.

What happened to Red Elephant's critical blog, the one that stated we were all left wing sicko's who shoud leave our Country?

I don't know Drex, probably should have been; the elephant sounded like some of my badly misinformed neighbors. Sometimes there are blogs on this website that are very rough, and Americans should never advocate a "violent" overthrow of our government, believe it's illegal for one thing. If we Americans would all vote, all actually write our congressmen when it is appropriate, and not just talk about it, what is occuring in DC now may never have happened.

The High Costs of the Iraq War-a useful breakdown:
http://www.ips-dc.org/iraq/quagmire/#us

Evelyn Smith wasnt the War for Independence violent overthrow of the existing Government? I dont cotton to censorship even if it's people I dont agree with. Doesnt Rush cherry pick his callers to make sure they all agree with him. Lets not do what the right does. Print it and we can have our say about whats been printed.

Drex:

Yes indeed, our Revolutionary War was a violent overthrow of England and English rule. It was not however, a violent war against our own government, one which was newly created in Philadelphia in 1776. Big difference.

With our well written constitution, we do not need a violent overthrow, and it is a federal crime for Americans to plan one. We need and must, to all get together and insure our elected congressmen and senators know that we are truely fed up. Then we have to vote! If anyone here can get Americans to vote over 45%, please let us know how to do it.

I don't cotton to censorship either Drex, I believe in free press and free speech. Had everyone here read the hateful remarks of Red Elephants blog, it may have created a ton of comments of realy nasty comebacks, which wold have served little purpose. I believe it was likely scraped for good reason and was a difficult judgment call of the editors. I have mixed emotions on that issue but understand your comments and respect your right to voice them.

I would second the earlier post about how good "Iraq for Sale" is. There's another documentary about the military industrial complex called "Why We Fight."
http://www.sonypicturesclassics.com/whywefight

These contractors are finding work all over the world. There are dozens of mercenary and special forces operations going on throughout the world every day, in Indonesia, the horn of Africa, Latin America, etc. I imagine if the U.S. is hit my militants again, or if we have another Katrina sort of climate disaster, more mercenaries will be working here. The war on immigrants and pot will likely be involving more contractors. Halliburton is already making money on detention centers for immigrants. Boeing and Lockhead will receive huge government subsidies via the hi-tech militarization of the border.
Things are starting to look like a scene out of the film "Children of Men."
Hopefully, people will continue to work for a future that looks more like http://www.saludthefilm.net