Great, another riveting account of an armchair strategist on how war should be. I spent a lot of time "in theatre", as a communications contractor, not security. I did work around some Blackwater contractors, and believe me; they are worth their weight in gold to American forces. Don't forget that most Blackwater employees are former Special Forces and Rangers (who want to protect American lives, but got tired of the red tape and dismal paychecks soldiers get.) Look...war sucks, people get hurt and killed every day, accidents run rampant, horrible incidents are inevitable; most of us over there are just trying to get through the day. Cut them some slack.

War certainly is hell. Cut them some slack? We may be doing a good job of killing terrorists and of protecting our people but in doing so we are losing the war. Everytime an innocent Iraqi is killed, we are digging ourselves into a deeper hole. What's our goal in Iraq? To kill Iraqis? Come on, there has to be a betetr reason. Will somebody tell me what our National objective is right now?

If your president Bush had the cojones to stand in front of America and explain his "war on terror" requires a military draft because his diplomatic skills are non-existent and invasion was all he was/is capable of doing, his "wars" wouldn't have to be fought by mercenaries.

If his "coalition" of the "willing" wasn't a scam, his "wars" wouldn't have to be fought by mercenaries.

Wonder why Bush's "war" is so darned expensive? MERCENARIES.

And he doesn't even have the cojones to stand in front of Americans and tell them they have to pay for his "war" with tax increases or war bonds, choosing instead the coward's way; don't talk about it and let the bill come due when he's out of office making big money on some neocon PAC speaking tour.

Wonder if he'll find the cojones to answer the future reporter who may ask: "how could you do this to our economy?" "how could you be so partisan as to ruin us?"

Reinhard Schumann asked: Will somebody tell me what our National objective is right now?

I'm thinking that 'right now' they're using the war to try to keep the economy afloat via heavy expenditures on military and state department contracting.

This administration already has so many 'black eyes'..........if the economy goes completely belly-up,... Mr. Bush can kiss any chance of his coveted 'legacy' goodbye.

Most of these comments miss the mark. we're talking about a whole new concept, mercenaries! Don't waste time telling me they've been around since the dawn of war.
The idiots in charge thought it was a good idea to cut back the military to the point where they can't do the job and then privatize in order to keep the whole thing afloat. This gave them an excellent opportunity to let no-bid contracts to their cronies for everything from cooking to protecting fat-assed diplomats, a job that Marines have been doing for years.
What should concern any thinking citizen is the growth of this new industry of which Blackwater is but one of many. These gun-happy goons have their headquarters in Moynock, North Carolina but have taken steps to branch out to what they call Blackwater North and Blackwater West. Their latest move is into the peaceful little community of Potrero, outside of San Diego, where they hope to install yet another facility, complete with a humongous armory to store all their ammo and favorite toys. They also hope to get a contract from the federal government to "augment" the Border Patrol. Wherever there are guns involved, you can expect Blackwater to be interested.
Unlike the first poster, I don't agree that these overgrown "boys with toys" are worth their weight in gold, I see
Blackwater and similar organizations to be made up of opportunists who see a way to profit from the misery of war. "Protect American lives" my ass! You'll think "cut them some slack" when they start showing up on every street corner, with their automatic toys, to quell those pesky activists who don't understand a democratic Republic to consist of private armies. Get your head out of your butt 'former military' and see these guys for what they are, war profiteers with little to no accountability. I, for just one, will never recognize their authority and will never submit to their bullying. I've also served with Rangers, Marine RECONS, and SEALS, in combat, so I know first-hand their general disposition. There's many more gung-ho "cowboys" among these "elite" groups than there are patriots.
These mercenaries are "guns for hire" pure and simple, so don't even try to put a gloss on their crappy image. They have no place anywhere in America and should be outlawed.

I say Amen to the previous person.....when did we descend to mercenaries to fight our battles. Shame on us. That's what you get when we look the other way and allow government to make these decisions behind closed doors!!

War is to be fought by the military not soldiers of fortune who are running the cost of war even higher and killing many innocent people on the way.This is what is known as the back door draft without controlls and costing us billions.The bush war ugh ugh ugh.

War is NOT hell. Not any more. Now, war is easy. No more shared sacrifice. Now, just hire some mercs and let er rip! Sure, mercenaries cost substantially more than you'd evey pay your regular professional soldiers. But hey, my stock portfolio is still growing and besides I'll be long dead before the war bill comes due. Thank goodness that our government protects us from ever having to see those flag-draped coffins coming home. Too bad that we have a liberal press always nagging about how much the war costs in lives and treasure. Hell, if it wasn't for those Nancys war would be dam near invisible!

The enemy can do anything they want, Washington want us to win a war with our hands tied in red tape . some Senators said the war is allready loss and they want to make sure we loose for sure, for political reasons.
Is a war , is hell, tell the politicians in DC to let us win.