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Rice faces House’s questions about Iraq
For months, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice fended off demands from Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that she testify about a growing list of State Department problems in Iraq.
Rice finally made her appearance Thursday, and faced aggressive questioning about corruption in the Iraqi government, rogue behavior by security guards for private contractor Blackwater USA, and construction defects at the new $600-million U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
“We need to know whether the mistakes of the State Department have jeopardized any chance for political success in Iraq,” Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) said in his opening remarks.
Rice, an academic by training and a diplomat by profession, sparred for three hours with Waxman and committee Democrats. Republicans charged that Democrats, without the votes in Congress to end the war outright, were trying to halt it by exposing a series of problems in Iraq.
“The Democratic strategy seems to be to drill enough small holes in the bottom of the boat to sink the entire Iraqi enterprise, while still claiming undying support for the crew about to drown,” said ranking member Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.).
Anybody that wants to know what “drunk with power” looks like needs only to look at Henry Waxman. He’s been investigating, badgering, smearing, and condemning the Bush Administration week after week.
He’s issued subpoena’s for damn near everyone that has ever had any dealings with the President. I wouldn’t put it past Waxman to subpoena Barney, the President’s dog.
I usually watch all the hearings on Capital Hill, because it’s always amazing to see how they fit so many huge egos in one room. Rice’s testimony was especially interesting, because she refuse’s to be bullied by Waxman and his stooges.
When the Democrats hold hearings and pretend to be outraged, the whole thing is just so obvious. It’s the epitome of a dog and pony show. I can’t imagine anyone really believing the whole process is authentic or has any real value. It’s pure partisan politics and while it does make for good TV, it’s a colossal waste of time.
-Chris Jones
Blackwater: Fallujah Deaths Unavoidable
Heavier guns and sturdier trucks would not have saved a team of Blackwater USA guards brutally killed in March 2004 after being lured by corrupt Iraqi forces into a well-planned ambush, the embattled private security contractor contends in a report to Congress.
This conclusion sharply contradicts the findings of a congressional investigation led by House Democrats and a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the families of the four slain guards. Blackwater is cast in both as an incompetent, penny-pinching outfit that sent an undermanned and poorly equipped detail through Fallujah, a known insurgent stronghold 40 miles west of Baghdad.
While calling the deaths “a tragic event,” Blackwater says the incident was unavoidable and the guards—former Navy SEALs and Army Rangers—understood the risks of their mission and could have refused to go.
While Blackwater may not be perfect, they’re still the best Private Military Contractor in the world. Any clear thinking person can see that the vilification of Blackwater is 100% pure Washington politics.
Blackwater was hired to keep Diplomats alive as they go about their business in Iraq. To this day not a single Diplomat has been injured or killed while under the protection of Blackwater. Ironically, many of the Democrats who call Blackwater contractors “cowboys” and “criminals” neglected to mention those feelings while they were being guarded by them.
There’s no doubt that civilians have been killed in Iraq by both Blackwater and the U.S. military. As tragic as that is, Iraq is a war zone and that sometimes happens in war zones. While the safety of Iraqi civilians is important, the safety of our personnel is even more important. I don’t expect a Blackwater contractor to wait until he gets shot, before shooting back.
The media coverage of Blackwater has been grossly inaccurate and completely ridiculous. Smearing Blackwater is just another way for the chicken shit liberals in the media and the Congress to try and damage the Bush administration.
When visiting Iraq in the future, I’m calling on Democrats to stand on their principles and refuse Blackwater protection. To accept protection from a bunch of lawless mercenaries might appear to some as a de facto endorsement of that companies criminal activities.
-Chris Jones
Henry Waxman Accuses Blackwater of Tax Evasion
The Democratic chairman of a House watchdog committee said Monday that Blackwater USA violated tax laws and may have defrauded the government of millions of dollars, a charge the embattled security firm said is groundless.
Henry Waxman released a March letter from the Internal Revenue Service that states the company’s classification of a security guard as an independent contractor, instead of company personnel, was “without merit.”
Waxman has been investigating Blackwater’s business dealings for several weeks, including whether the State Department unfairly awarded Blackwater a noncompetitive contract and if its guards took control of two Iraqi military aircraft without permission.
The primary factor in determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor is the degree of control the business has over its worker. Incorrectly classifying a worker could mean steep penalties for the company, including a $25,000 penalty if the IRS determines an appeal is frivolous or groundless.
Ever since Democrats took control of Congress they have been on a vendetta to take down Blackwater, so it’s no surprise that Waxman would level politically motivated charges.
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